Aristotle Collection: Nicomachean Ethics, Politics, Rhetoric, Poetics

by Aristotle, Drummond Percy Chase (Translator), Benjamin Jowett (Translator)

Aristotle is by far one of the most renown philosophers of all time. His philosophy has stood the test of time and his works have been analyzed and read around the world. This Aristotle collection contains four of Aristotle's most remarkable Nicomachean Ethics, Politics, Rhetoric, and Poetics.

299 pages, Paperback

Published November 23, 2019

About the author

Aristotle (Greek: Αριστοτέλης; 384–322 BC) was an Ancient Greek philosopher and polymath. His writings cover a broad range of subjects spanning the natural sciences, philosophy, linguistics, economics, politics, psychology, and the arts. As the founder of the Peripatetic school of philosophy in the Lyceum in Athens, he began the wider Aristotelian tradition that followed, which set the groundwork for the development of modern science.
Little is known about Aristotle's life. He was born in the city of Stagira in northern Greece during the Classical period. His father, Nicomachus, died when Aristotle was a child, and he was brought up by a guardian. At 17 or 18, he joined Plato's Academy in Athens and remained there until the age of 37 (c. 347 BC). Shortly after Plato died, Aristotle left Athens and, at the request of Philip II of Macedon, tutored his son Alexander the Great beginning in 343 BC. He established a library in the Lyceum, which helped him to produce many of his hundreds of books on papyrus scrolls.
Though Aristotle wrote many treatises and dialogues for publication, only around a third of his original output has survived, none of it intended for publication. Aristotle provided a complex synthesis of the various philosophies existing prior to him. His teachings and methods of inquiry have had a significant impact across the world, and remain a subject of contemporary philosophical discussion.
Aristotle's views profoundly shaped medieval scholarship. The influence of his physical science extended from late antiquity and the Early Middle Ages into the Renaissance, and was not replaced systematically until the Enlightenment and theories such as classical mechanics were developed. He influenced Judeo-Islamic philosophies during the Middle Ages, as well as Christian theology, especially the Neoplatonism of the Early Church and the scholastic tradition of the Catholic Church.
Aristotle was revered among medieval Muslim scholars as "The First Teacher", and among medieval Christians like Thomas Aquinas as simply "The Philosopher", while the poet Dante Alighieri called him "the master of those who know". His works contain the earliest known formal study of logic, and were studied by medieval scholars such as Pierre Abélard and Jean Buridan. Aristotle's influence on logic continued well into the 19th century. In addition, his ethics, although always influential, gained renewed interest with the modern advent of virtue ethics.

Reviews

[Kristjan · Rating 4 out of 5]

An ambitious project to record four (4) of Aristotle’s more famous works, at just under 28 hours … the narrator gets another star despite being fairly typically for an academic work (no voices, limited inflection, etc.). The collection includes something of an Introduction to Aristotle that is helpful in understanding the work as follows. The books themselves are fairly typical for philosophical treatises … in other words, overly wordy and obtuse at places. Still, these specific works are foundational classics in Western moral thought, so it is important to have at least a passing familiarity with them (and unless you are doing a deep dive, an audiobook is a lot less painful). There is also a fairly problematic world view that was unremarkable in his time, but not really acceptable now (e.g. master salve relationships) … which I more or less tried to not judge too harshly, but failed for most of the Politics discourse. As I am also studying [Christian] moral theology, I found it extremely interesting at how Much of Aristotle is echoed there (some cases nearly word for word). On the other hand … based on his politics, I ain’t voting for him ever [yea I know, he is a product of his times …I’m still not voting for him]. For example … when discussing the tyrant, I found myself nodding my head as Aristotle describes the characteristics until we get to this gem … that tyrants obviously give freedoms to women and slaves so that they can inform on their master or husband since they will not conspire against the tyrant …. ah … what? Yeah … his view about socio-economic status can be a trigger for some folks. Still … there is a lot of good stuff in there as well.

Ethics - Books 1-10 [****]
- Book I: Introductions, Definitions and the Goal of Ethics
- Book II: Character
- Book III: Courage and Temperance
- Book IV: Other Moral Virtues
- Book V: Justice and Fairness
- Book VI: Intellect
- Book VII: Impediments
- Book VIII: Friendship
- Book IX: Friendship (cont)
- Book X: Pleasure and Happiness

Politics - Books 1-8 [***]
- Book I: The City
- Book II: The Nation/Regime
- Book III: Citizens and Monarchies
- Book IV: Democracies and Oligarchies
- Book V: Constitutional Change and Revolutions
- Book VI: Democratic/Oligarchic Constitutions
- Book VII: Welfare
- Book VIII: Education

Rhetoric - Books 1-3 [****]
- Book I: Definition and Purpose of Rhetoric in 14 chapters
- Book II: Public Speaking in 26 chapters
- Book III: Rhetorical Style in 19 chapters

Poetics [****]
- Tragedy
- Epic
- Comedy [Lost/Missing]

I was given this free advance listener copy (ALC) audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

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