Aristotle

The Giants of Philosophy

by Thomas C. Brickhouse, Charlton Heston (Narrator)

Few philosophers have so extensively influenced thought and language as Aristotle. His conception of the universe pervades Christian theology. Knowledge of his thought is necessary to understand Bacon, Galileo, and the modern scientific view of nature, as well as Dante and many passages from Chaucer, Shakespeare, and Milton. Many phrases such as liberal education and theory contrasted with practice originated with this student of Plato and tutor of Alexander the Great.

Writing to inform the beginner and stimulate the expert, eminent scholar A. E. Taylor presents a searching analysis of Aristotle's thought, including classification of the sciences; formal logic; theory of knowledge; matter and form; the four causes; God; physics; biology; sensation; ethics; theory of the state; and the fine arts. He also considers Aristotle's provincialism, errors regarding the nervous system and astronomy, and defense of slavery.

The Giants of Philosophy is a series of dramatic presentations, in understandable language, of the concerns, questions, interests, and overall world view of history's greatest philosophers. Special emphasis on clear and relevant explanations gives you a new arsenal of insights toward living a better life.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, History, Audiobook, Biography

2 pages, Audio CD

First published June 1, 1990

Reviews

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great introductory or refresher course! This book requires concentration. Aristotle's beliefs are stated and followed up with explanations (Charlton Heston narrates on my 2 1/2 hour library audiobook).

[Josha Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked that this summary broke down Aristotle's nicomachean ethics and philosophy. The raw translations can be hard to process. I had no idea that he discussed the importance of public education and the middle class. The importance he put on contemplation and rationality as living the good life, speaks to how he lived.

I was surprised by some of his statements. Considering how praised Aristotle is as a thinker, some of his beliefs are deeply flawed. He talked about the existence of natural slaves as people that would benefit from enslavement, as their enslavers act rationally. This is a completely ridiculous and unethical way of thinking about people. I was shocked that in all the times I heard of him this hadn't come up. He also talks about how women need to be governed by the men in their household. He justifies this by saying that women though capable of rationality don't act on it, while men do act on their rationality. This in no way makes sense.

[AttackGirl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perhaps required reading to become a parent or live in a community. So we can maintain civility which seems to have been lost as is readily visible everywhere you turn.

How to return to respected civilization, perhaps now we see the slippery slope and why the earths inhabitants have been terminated several times. Even our young boys have watched so much porn they do not understand the concepts of NO.

[Jack · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad introduction for people whe never really read Aristotle. Charleton Heston is the narrator so it has that fact going for it. After listening to this book, I'm going to jump into the actual works of Aristotle. I get bored easily with philosophy, so I'm going to have to work to force myself through it. But I really want to see why Aristotle's phlosophy has persisted for over 2000 years. wish me luck

[Tobi ﾄﾋﾞ · Rating 2 out of 5]

i can’t tell if it was this audiobook that was boring, or if Aristotle is boring. i’ve never read aristotle before. all i know about him is that he’s boris johnson’s favourite philosopher, and that i read a quote by him once that i found stupid (i don’t remember what quote). i’m not tempted to read anything by him any time soon.

[Jay Best · Rating 3 out of 5]

it's good, but I feel that the translation for the word "things" may have some context that is lost in translation.
or that the translation could have laid the concepts out in a cleaner way, the text is similar to the bible in that it uses quite formal language.

listened via Libby at 3x speed. 2 hours

[Brian Mikołajczyk · Rating 4 out of 5]

An analysis of two of Aristotle's works: Physics and The Nicomachean Ethics. The author really expounds Aristotelian thinking and gives the reader a sense of what the Aristotelian ideal is both via critical thinking and ethically.

[Rob · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a really good introduction to Aristotle and his ideas.

[Toni · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one was tedious. Not a fan of Aristotle.

[Ryk Stanton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Did what I wanted it to do — gave me an overview and told me stuff I didn’t know.

[Z · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m going to give the author 4 stars for so clearly an concisely presenting everything I care to know about Aristotle. That’s enough for me. Thanks.

[bimri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aristotle lays a lot of foundations in philosophy with his encyclopedic knowledge across various schools of science! With that said, some of his assertions must be taken with a grain of salt.

[J · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oof

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice overview of Aristotle’s thought read by the incomparable Charlton Heston. This gives me a good starting point for my dive into his classic works of philosophy.

[John Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good but brief review of Aristotle’s philosophy

[Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this at my library, and it was only 2 hours long.

A very well narrated summary of Aristotle's works. Not just a summary, Aristotle is quoted a lot through out the book. Charlton Heston does a very good job narrating.

I've always been intrigued by philosophy, and this helped me understand which areas I am most interested in. I'm not as interested in the Physics (study of nature - not just plants but human nature included) or Metaphysics (which I learned simply means the lecture that follows the physics or discourse on nature) as I am in Ethics, Politics, and the Poetics.

[Coyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gives a quick survey of Aristotle's philosophy, including an overview of his metaphysics, physics, ethics, politics, and poetry. It's a fairly solid introduction, with short, easy to understand chunks.
Also, the audio CD is narrated by Charleton Heston. Which makes it worth the price of purchase (free as a download from my local library).

Recommended for those who want a good intro to or refresher of the Philosopher done in Moses' voice.

[عدنان العبار · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book presents a biography of Aristotle, and a summary of his whole philosophy: His science (specifically physics and biology), metaphysics, rhetoric, ethics, aesthetics, politics, and psychology. It's a delightful short book that's helpful for anyone who wants to embark on an Aristotelian journey; i.e., an Aristotle book marathon. (Me!)

[Jenny Wakefield · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really interestingbook. I read it on Audible (twice).

[Elizabeth · Rating 1 out of 5]

used audiobook