The Ethics and Politics According to Aristotle

by Aristotle

Ethics and Politics are two separate works dealing with the same subject. This subject is what Aristotle calls in one place the "philosophy of human affairs;" but more frequently Political or Social Science. In the two works taken together we have their author's whole theory of human conduct or practical activity, that is, of all human activity which is not directed merely to knowledge or truth. The proem to the Ethics is an introduction to the whole subject, not merely to the first part; the last chapter of the Ethics points forward to the Politics, and sketches for that part of the treatise the order of enquiry to be pursued.

Genres: Politics

274 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 1, 2001

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

[Maik Civeira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aristóteles, alumno de Platón, plasmó sus ideas sobre la organización de las sociedades en dos obras, Ética y Política. En lo personal me gusta más el pensamiento de Aristóteles que el de su maestro. La filosofía de Platón me parece demasiado esotérica, mientras que en Aristóteles están las bases del pensamiento científico (él es el fundador de la lógica formal). Con todo, no se puede negar que Platón es el principio de toda la filosofía occidental y que el pensamiento de Aristóteles consiste básicamente en respuestas, correcciones, añadiduras, refutaciones, notas al pie y demás, a la obra de su mentor.

Aristóteles considera que la democracia, la aristocracia y la monarquía pueden llegar a ser buenas formas de gobierno, pero que es importante que cada una se aplique a la sociedad que corresponda. En una sociedad donde unos individuos acumulen más poder que otros o en la que los ciudadanos no se preocupen por los asuntos públicos, no podrá funcionar la democracia.

“Es manifiesto que la comunidad política administrada por la clase media es la mejor, y que pueden gobernarse bien las ciudades en las cuales la clase media es numerosa y más fuerte que las otras dos clases juntas, pues así inclina la balanza e impide los excesos de los partidos contrarios. De aquí que la mayor fortuna para una ciudad consiste en que sus miembros tengan un patrimonio moderado y suficiente, ya que donde unos poseen en demasía y otros nada, vendrá la demagogia extrema o la oligarquía pura, o bien aún, como reacción a ambos extremos, la tiranía.”

[Mark Schultz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Books of the Western World reading. Ross a better translator than Jowett in my opinion.

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yeah, two stars...it was okay. It was also an exercise in using too many words; saying the same thing fifteen different ways. Maybe college professors would like it more. P.S. my edition was Ethics only....mgc

[Willy Lazaro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Esencial libro para entender las bases de la ética clásica, desmintiendo y poniendo aprueba muchas de las cuestiones planteadas en distintos diálogos platónicos.

[Tom Oman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had a few takeaways from this but ultimately it was a bit of a slog, could have been the translation. Read this while living in Prince Edward Island on the east coast of Canada.

[José Gerardo Huerta De Rubín · Rating 4 out of 5]

Piezas clase en la filosofía política, base de todo pensamiento occidental al respecto y uno de los pilares de la obra de Aristóteles.