A History of Ancient Philosophy: Plato and Aristotle (2)

by Giovanni Reale

In this book Reale presents Plato and Aristotle.

At the center of Reale's interpretation of Plato is the fulcrum of the supersensible, the metaphysical discovery that Plato presented as a result of the Second Voyage. This discovery of the supersensible is, in Reale's view, not only the fundamental phase of ancient thought, but it also constitutes a milestone on the path of western philosophy.

Reale presents Plato in three different dimensions: the theoretic, the mystical-religious, and the political. Each of these components takes on meaning from the Second Voyage. In addition, Reale has shown that only in the light of the Unwritten Doctrines handed down through the indirect tradition, do these three components, and the Second Voyage itself, acquire their full meaning, and only in this way is a unitary conception of Plato's thought achieved.

The interpretation of Aristotle that Reale proposes depends on his interpretation of Plato. Aristotle read without preconceptions is not the antithesis of Plato. Reale points out that Aristotle was unique among thinkers close to Plato, in being the one who developed, at least in part, his Second Voyage. The systematic-unitary interpretation of Aristotle which Reale has previously supported converges with the new systematic-unitary interpretation of Plato. Certain doctrinal positions which are usually reserved to treatments in monographs will be explored, because only in this way can the two distinctive traits of Aristotle's thought emerge: the way in which he tries to overcome and confirm the Socratic-Platonic positions, and the way in which he formally creates the system of philosophical knowledge.

Genres: Philosophy, History, Nonfiction

437 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1979

About the author

Reale was born in Candia Lomellina, Pavia. He attended the Gymnasium and the Liceo classico of Casale Monferrato, and was then educated at the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore of Milan, where he graduated. He later continued his studies in Marburg an der Lahn and Munich.
After a period of teaching in high schools, he won a professorship at the University of Parma, where he taught courses in moral philosophy and the history of philosophy. He then returned to the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore of Milan, where he was professor of the history of ancient philosophy for many years, and where he also founded the Centro di Ricerche di Metafisica. In 2005 he moved to teach at the new faculty of philosophy at Vita-Salute San Raffaele University of Milan.

Reviews

[Kara Naselli]

This was semi-optional reading for philosophy class that I skimmed and it looked good if a little boring? So idk. Here's a wild card, knock yourself out, it could be horrible.

[Robert Murphy]

I am blown away at how lucid Reale is able to write. Everything has clear organization and development. He starts from the metaphysical superstructure of the philosophical systems and then goes down to the more particular. His evaluations of each author and giving brief descriptions of their Nachleben helped me to appreciate each thinker

The first half of the book—the half about Plato—blew me away. I could tell that Reale was extremely passionate about Plato. He did not fail to point out the areas where Plato lacked, but demonstrated just how important Plato was as a philosopher and as an author.

The section on Aristotle I found less thrilling. I had a harder time grasping Aristotle and his metaphysics than I did Plato, probably partially due to my lack of familiarity with it. At first, I thought it was because Reale was less excited about Aristotle (which he was), but then in Reale's conclusions he demonstrates some aporias in Aristotle's philosophy that make it less coherent than Plato's, despite its analytic superiority. I will still have to review many aspects of Aristotle's philosophy now that I understand it better as a whole.

One day, I aspire to read or consult this series in the Italian original. Reale's intense love for these philosophers comes through in this translation. I can only imagine how much more it comes through in the original.

[Sophiophilia]

While the first volume was excellent, this one exhausted and bored me. I mean, when I read selected excerpts for my bachelor's degree, it was fine, but now that I've read the whole thing in one go, I've had enough of Plato. Aristotle too, a little, because he was obviously presented through the prism of Plato, of whom Reale is an avowed, declarative psychofan. Too long, too much.

On the other hand, however, I read some valuable comments about both philosophers that I haven't come across in other textbooks of this type. So, in general, it's worth it if you need to delve deeper into the subject. Alternatively, if you know nothing about Plato and Aristotle, you might enjoy it more than I did.

3.5