Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics: An Introduction

Cambridge Introductions to Key Philosophical Texts

by Michael Pakaluk

Uncovering Aristotle's motivations and basic views while paying careful attention to his arguments, this introduction to the Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle's great masterpiece of moral philosophy, offers a thorough examination of the entire work. The chapter on friendship captures Aristotle's doctrine with clarity and insight, and Michael Pakaluk develops original and compelling interpretations of the Function Argument, the Doctrine of the Mean, courage and other character virtues, Akrasia, and the two treatments of pleasure.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, Classics

360 pages, Paperback

First published August 24, 2001

About the author

MICHAEL PAKALUK is a professor of ethics and social philosophy in the Busch School of Business at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., and a member of the Pontifical Academy of St. Thomas Aquinas. He earned his undergraduate and doctoral degrees at Harvard and studied as a Marshall Scholar at the University of Edinburgh. An expert in ancient philosophy, he has published widely on Aristotelian ethics and the philosophy of friendship and done groundbreaking work in business ethics.

Reviews

[Allan Elder]

No matter how many versions of the Nicomachean Ethics you have read, this one will be a joy. It is the best book on the subject I have read. If you are new to philosophy, this is a great first book of the classics. Pakaluk does not assume the reader understands the Ethics or even how to read philosophy. That's what makes this book so easy. He begins by explaining the key concepts covered in the Ethics and what they mean now as well as what they most likely meant in Aristotle's time. This is an important key to understanding the Ethics. Many terms used in the Ethics, as used today, have subtle differences in meaning than in Aristotle's time.

Pakaluk breaks down each chapter and concept into three steps: (1) Understanding the context and function of the passage, (2) understanding the context and function of each part of the passage, and (3) examine the argument of the passage. This approach provides for good reading in this text and teaches how to read and examine all other such texts of philosophy.

[Star]

Aristotle is one of my least favorite philosophers, very self refuting.

[Stas Medvedev]

Very strong commentary of the Nicomachean Ethics. Despite the name 'Introduction' this is an intermediate level.

[Ashton Garrett]

Would’ve been helpful when I did LD but very interesting none the less