Aristotle: His Life and School

by Carlo Natali

The definitive account of Aristotle's life and school

This definitive biography shows that Aristotle's philosophy is best understood on the basis of a firm knowledge of his life and of the school he founded. First published in Italian, and now translated, updated, and expanded for English readers, this concise chronological narrative is the most authoritative account of Aristotle's life and his Lyceum available in any language. Gathering, distilling, and analyzing all the evidence and previous scholarship, Carlo Natali, one of the world's leading Aristotle scholars, provides a masterful synthesis that is accessible to students yet filled with evidence and original interpretations that specialists will find informative and provocative.

Cutting through the controversy and confusion that have surrounded Aristotle's biography, Natali tells the story of Aristotle's eventful life and sheds new light on his role in the foundation of the Lyceum. Natali offers the most detailed and persuasive argument yet for the view that the school, an important institution of higher learning and scientific research, was designed to foster a new intellectual way of life among Aristotle's followers, helping them fulfill an aristocratic ideal of the best way to use the leisure they enjoyed. Drawing a wealth of connections between Aristotle's life and thinking, Natali demonstrates how the two are mutually illuminating.

For this edition, ancient texts have been freshly translated on the basis of the most recent critical editions; indexes have been added, including a comprehensive index of sources and an index to previous scholarship; and scholarship that has appeared since the book's original publication has been incorporated.

Genres: Philosophy, Biography, History, Nonfiction, Biography Memoir

240 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[Leo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was definitely an intresting read but nothing that will live long in my memory. Not a subject I'm very interested in but it was a good read nevertheless

[Pater Edmund · Rating 3 out of 5]

Natali sifts through the evidence that we have about Aristotle's life, and the way his teaching was organized, and presents that evidence clearly.

[Kelly Head · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though Natali wrote this book twenty years ago, it has only now been translated into English and updated with an afterword. This book represents a comprehensive review of the scholarly literature from the the late 1800's onward, as well as commentary on the fragments of data we have on Aristotle's life from ancient literature. In this sense, it has a scholarly aim of showing the blueprints for nailing down details about the life of Aristotle. Unfortunately, doing any kind of historical work on a figure that lived in Ancient Greece will require interpreting scant data, even in the case of a person as frequently mentioned as Aristotle. Despite this scholarly aim, the work succeeds in being an enjoyable, straightforward biography to the casual reader.

What is most striking about Aristotle's life is that he accomplished so much in the shadow of as giant a figure as Plato, someone who was quite at home in Athens while Aristotle was always a foreigner with second-class status that forbade him from doing things like owning property. Aristotle's bookish librarian tendencies are contrasted with Plato's dialectical methods, and we are reminded of how magnificent his personal collection of books donated to the Library of Alexandria must have been. Not only did he study the natural world and initiate the age of scientific method, he also gathered proverbs and common sense wisdom to mine it for knowledge. His aim was only the bios theoretikos, the good life, the life of the mind.

The relationship between Aristotle and Alexander the Great is discussed at length, as well as the school and teaching methods Aristotle relied upon to gain followers. There are many interesting tidbits of information sprinkled here and there, such as the fact that Aristotle was maligned to be a drug dealer and profligate! It was a relief to me to know that Aristotle probably always had a deep respect and admiration for Plato, even if he disagreed with his philosophy at points. In general, this work succeeds remarkably in painting a realistic portrait of a man who lived over 2,000 years ago, and whose presence is still felt today.

[Ari · Rating 3 out of 5]

We don't really know enough about Aristotle's life to write a full biography, but we know more than I realized. The title here is meant to be read literally: it is about his life and his school. Specifically, the book is one-third biography, one-third about the organization of he school he ran, and one-third about the curriculum and teaching style of the school.

We have a fair number of ancient sources, including some primary sources (inscriptions, the text of his will, etc).

[Nelson Zagalo · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was not the book I expected, at all. Natali has constructed not a book, but a document that goes beyond a thesis, it is a survey document of all existing references, written, on Aristotle's life, thus offering a kind of certificate to his person.

As a document, it is brilliant and will serve all those who want to work on the philosopher's life. From what I have read of Natali, and in comparison with other works, this book is a work unequalled in labour and depth of documentary support.

As a reading book, a way to access who Aristotle was and what his work was, I would say it is unpalatable, for the simple reason that it is not a narrative.

[Raymund Snyder · Rating 4 out of 5]

I admittedly only read the first part that pertains to Aristotle himself (rather than the subsequent Perapetetic tradition). However, I feel I can confidently say that this work is of a very high scholarly value and detail. For that reason, it is probably most useful for those engaged in specialized research or writing a dissertation on Aristotle. In this sense, it is much different than Robin Waterfield's book on Plato (which is more approachable). I will come back to it if I ever have questions about the early Perpatetics.

[Kristján Hannesson]

Strangely fascinating book about a philosopher that talks remarkably little about himself, yet which has been the object of many conflicting biographies through the ages. It helps greatly that it is so charmingly written, a remarkable feat for such an academic text.

[Jerrodm · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh boy. I did not love this book. To be fair though, the author is upfront about what's in the book - the first section of the first chapter is titled: "Many facts, not all of equal interest".

The book is so dry. It feels like a really, really, ridiculously long article from a philosophy journal. The author goes through Aristotle's biography, such as it is, and the institutional arrangements and operations of Aristotle's school. Oh, and the last 15 pages of the book is a rehashing of previous biographies of Aristotle's life.

I'm going to say you really need to be into Greek philosophy in order to care enough to read this. Otherwise, don't bother.

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written, good translation.