Aristotle I

by Aristotle, Mortimer J. Adler, Robert Maynard Hutchins (editor)

Contents:
Categories
On Interpretation
Prior Analytics
Posterior Analytics
Topics
On Sophistical Refutations
Physics
On the Heavens
On Generation and Corruption
Meteorology
Metaphysics
On the Soul
On Sense and the Sensible
On Memory and Reminiscence
On Sleep and Sleeplessness
On Dreams
On Prophesying by Dreams
On Longevity and Shortness of Life
On Youth and Old Age, on Life and Death, on Breathing

Genres: Philosophy, Classics

726 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1952

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

[Christopher Rush · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. Dullsville, man. Dullsville. I would like to see the evidence for the oft-declared notion "Aristotle's works are just his students' notes compiled." I don't believe that idea. It's too verbose to be students' notes. If this is students' notes, it's mostly editorial additions, I say. I admit freely toward the end there was more professional skimming than reading, and perhaps you may say that mars if not outright disqualifies my commentary on Aristotle, but the vast majority of the works in here are sheer pre-scientific mumbo-jumbos. Surely none of this is considered true or right or helpful today, surely. And I'm a classicist. I suppose you would read this for historical interest, like "what did people believe about the souls of animals before microwaves existed?" A non sequitur, sure, but this was not a life-helping experience.

[aisling.pdf · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tried to read and gave up like 85ish pages in. It's a great book if you're into either philosophical ramblings or outdated lessons in physics.
The two volumes look pretty on my shelf though. You can use them like dictionaries. You can dip into them to feel smart but mainly keep them on the shelf.

[Joshua Dew · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Reading Aristotle is a bit like eating dried hay." -Thomas Gray (1716-1771)

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

All the works of this arguably greatest thinker in Western history are concentrated here in one place as volumes 8 and 9 of the Britannica Great Books of the Western World. Apart from a brief biographical note, there is no editorial commentary of any kind; the reader can read the philosopher's words for himself and develop his own response. Only one of the works in this volume I found impenetrable without help: the logical treatise Prior Analytics. To read that with comprehension I turned to an excellent guide: Robin Smith's Prior Analytics.

Bring on volume 9!

[Daniel Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

After my disappointment with Plato, Aristotle delighted me. Through Aristotle's repeated references, it seems like the two most important works of Plato are, in order, "Timaeus" and "Phaedro." Aristotle's architectonics led to a clarity of thought that echoes through millennia. He's also a polymath, in this book covering topics including rhetoric, science, and philosophy. I'm excited to read the next volume next week. Highly readable and even more highly recommended.