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Commentary on Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics [Aristotelian Commentary Series]
The fine editions of the Aristotelian Commentary Series make available long out-of-print commentaries of St. Thomas on Aristotle. Each volume has the full text of Aristotle with Bekker numbers, followed by the commentary of St. Thomas, cross-referenced using an easily accessible mode of referring to Aristotle in the Commentary. Each volume is beautifully printed and bound using the finest materials. All copies are printed on acid-free paper and Smyth sewn. They will last.
700 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1993
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About the author
Thomas Aquinas
2,546 books1,134 followersPhilosophy of Saint Thomas Aquinas, a Dominican friar and theologian of Italy and the most influential thinker of the medieval period, combined doctrine of Aristotle and elements of Neoplatonism, a system that Plotinus and his successors developed and based on that of Plato, within a context of Christian thought; his works include the
Summa contra gentiles
(1259-1264) and the
Summa theologiae
or theologica (1266-1273).
Saint Albertus Magnus taught Saint Thomas Aquinas.
People ably note this priest, sometimes styled of Aquin or Aquino, as a scholastic. The Roman Catholic tradition honors him as a "doctor of the Church."
Aquinas lived at a critical juncture of western culture when the arrival of the Aristotelian corpus in Latin translation reopened the question of the relation between faith and reason, calling into question the modus vivendi that obtained for centuries. This crisis flared just as people founded universities. Thomas after early studies at Montecassino moved to the University of Naples, where he met members of the new Dominican order. At Naples too, Thomas first extended contact with the new learning. He joined the Dominican order and then went north to study with Albertus Magnus, author of a paraphrase of the Aristotelian corpus. Thomas completed his studies at the University of Paris, formed out the monastic schools on the left bank and the cathedral school at Notre Dame. In two stints as a regent master, Thomas defended the mendicant orders and of greater historical importance countered both the interpretations of Averroës of Aristotle and the Franciscan tendency to reject Greek philosophy. The result, a new modus vivendi between faith and philosophy, survived until the rise of the new physics. The Catholic Church over the centuries regularly and consistently reaffirmed the central importance of work of Thomas for understanding its teachings concerning the Christian revelation, and his close textual commentaries on Aristotle represent a cultural resource, now receiving increased recognition.
Saint Albertus Magnus taught Saint Thomas Aquinas.
People ably note this priest, sometimes styled of Aquin or Aquino, as a scholastic. The Roman Catholic tradition honors him as a "doctor of the Church."
Aquinas lived at a critical juncture of western culture when the arrival of the Aristotelian corpus in Latin translation reopened the question of the relation between faith and reason, calling into question the modus vivendi that obtained for centuries. This crisis flared just as people founded universities. Thomas after early studies at Montecassino moved to the University of Naples, where he met members of the new Dominican order. At Naples too, Thomas first extended contact with the new learning. He joined the Dominican order and then went north to study with Albertus Magnus, author of a paraphrase of the Aristotelian corpus. Thomas completed his studies at the University of Paris, formed out the monastic schools on the left bank and the cathedral school at Notre Dame. In two stints as a regent master, Thomas defended the mendicant orders and of greater historical importance countered both the interpretations of Averroës of Aristotle and the Franciscan tendency to reject Greek philosophy. The result, a new modus vivendi between faith and philosophy, survived until the rise of the new physics. The Catholic Church over the centuries regularly and consistently reaffirmed the central importance of work of Thomas for understanding its teachings concerning the Christian revelation, and his close textual commentaries on Aristotle represent a cultural resource, now receiving increased recognition.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 18, 2022
Commentary on Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics (Thomas Aquinas)
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Aristotle by himself is a difficult read. Aquinas by himself is a difficult read. Put the two together, though, and you get a surprisingly accessible way of accessing both philosophers, made more accessible by Aquinas' organized way of thinking.
I read this book over a decade ago. When Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics was assigned for the Online Great Books reading group, I decided that a reread was a good way to approach the assignment.
The Nicomachean Ethics is more than a seminal work for medieval philosophy. The Ethics is a powerful guidebook for life. If you have picked up a philosophy book looking for wisdom and truth - and been disappointed by the modern variants - this book is the real deal.
Aristotle was a pragmatic philosophy. His insights are based on his observations about how people live their lives yoked to a curious mind. Aristotle starts with the basic question about the goal of human life. All things for Aristotle (and Thomas) are known from their causes, one of which is the final cause. For Aristotle, the final cause of human life was "happiness," but his idea of happiness was not a warm feeling. Instead, happiness was an activity, namely a well-lived human life, a flourishing human life.
In order for a human life to flourish, the human had to exercise those excellences - virtues - that make for a flourishing human life. These virtues allow the human to subjugate the body to reason, including prudence, courage, justice, fortitude, and a host of minor - and often surprising - virtues such as liberality. The virtues are often understood to be the mean between the extreme vices of excess and deficiency. Virtue is the habit of choosing the virtuous mean. Virtue becomes a habit, which becomes a nature.
What I found most important about Aristotle is that he gives us a vocabulary to talk about human existence. He also provides a methodology for unraveling the conundrums of life. Do you have difficulty in making decisions? Then, decide whether you tend to be hesitant or rambunctious. Then, employ the "Costanza method" and pick the option that is most unlike your normal choice. You will have a greater chance of hitting the mark
As I said, Aristotle is very pragmatic.
There is a moral philosophical theory in the Ethics that makes working your way through the Commentary and/or the Ethics worthwhile. These texts provide a subtle way of thinking about choices. Aristotle's pragmatic, empirical approach provides a better description of human psychology than most modern schools of psychology. A person looking for insights into practical questions could do worse.
Aristotle is often hard to unpack. Aquinas has a singular ability to simplify and schematize Aristotle. Aristotle's Ethics form a substantial part of Aquinas's Summa Theologica. Reading the Commentary allows a student of Aquinas to look under the hood and see how Aquinas became so knowledgeable about the various topics he wrote on.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-re...
Aristotle by himself is a difficult read. Aquinas by himself is a difficult read. Put the two together, though, and you get a surprisingly accessible way of accessing both philosophers, made more accessible by Aquinas' organized way of thinking.
I read this book over a decade ago. When Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics was assigned for the Online Great Books reading group, I decided that a reread was a good way to approach the assignment.
The Nicomachean Ethics is more than a seminal work for medieval philosophy. The Ethics is a powerful guidebook for life. If you have picked up a philosophy book looking for wisdom and truth - and been disappointed by the modern variants - this book is the real deal.
Aristotle was a pragmatic philosophy. His insights are based on his observations about how people live their lives yoked to a curious mind. Aristotle starts with the basic question about the goal of human life. All things for Aristotle (and Thomas) are known from their causes, one of which is the final cause. For Aristotle, the final cause of human life was "happiness," but his idea of happiness was not a warm feeling. Instead, happiness was an activity, namely a well-lived human life, a flourishing human life.
In order for a human life to flourish, the human had to exercise those excellences - virtues - that make for a flourishing human life. These virtues allow the human to subjugate the body to reason, including prudence, courage, justice, fortitude, and a host of minor - and often surprising - virtues such as liberality. The virtues are often understood to be the mean between the extreme vices of excess and deficiency. Virtue is the habit of choosing the virtuous mean. Virtue becomes a habit, which becomes a nature.
What I found most important about Aristotle is that he gives us a vocabulary to talk about human existence. He also provides a methodology for unraveling the conundrums of life. Do you have difficulty in making decisions? Then, decide whether you tend to be hesitant or rambunctious. Then, employ the "Costanza method" and pick the option that is most unlike your normal choice. You will have a greater chance of hitting the mark
As I said, Aristotle is very pragmatic.
There is a moral philosophical theory in the Ethics that makes working your way through the Commentary and/or the Ethics worthwhile. These texts provide a subtle way of thinking about choices. Aristotle's pragmatic, empirical approach provides a better description of human psychology than most modern schools of psychology. A person looking for insights into practical questions could do worse.
Aristotle is often hard to unpack. Aquinas has a singular ability to simplify and schematize Aristotle. Aristotle's Ethics form a substantial part of Aquinas's Summa Theologica. Reading the Commentary allows a student of Aquinas to look under the hood and see how Aquinas became so knowledgeable about the various topics he wrote on.
October 14, 2025
Usually the clearer a philosophical text is, the worse its commentaries are, simply because there's not much interesting left for the commentators to say. Given the quality and clarity of the Nicomachean Ethics, then, it is unsurprising that even St. Thomas struggles to produce a commentary that can be called a masterpiece. Nevertheless, he does make what Aristotle tries to say even clearer, which I didn't know is possible - it is as if he installed an upgrade in resolution from 1080p to 1440p. The difference is subtle yet somehow obvious. Since, however, St. Thomas adds almost nothing new in terms of content on top of Aristotle, I don't recommend reading this commentary from cover to cover - consulting it when in doubt would suffice. Nonetheless, reading every sentence is still helpful for those who want to systematically study the Nicomachean Ethics with academic rigour and depth.
November 19, 2025
Excellent commentary. Four stars because the author failed to keep in mind the poor quality of the 21st century American educational system which meant a lot went way over my head
December 6, 2014
A lot of Aquinas's commentary is merely rewording Aristotle's words to make them easier to comprehend, but there are some interesting sections that add in a religious context.
Want to read
September 3, 202212 Jul 2022. Follow up to Kreeft's SUMMA OF THE SUMMA. It may prove too difficult but I think it would be worth the effort, a refresher on Aristotle and more practice with Thomas. 2 Sep 2022. Stopping after 50 pages or so, alas. It isn't too difficult, just took a bit of getting used to, but I don't have enough leisure in the school year for it. Maybe next summer.
July 12, 2016
brilliant minds converge in this one. i likes the aristotle portion a lot more than aquinas' contribution, but overall it was so long, repetitious and uninspiring to me.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews