Published in June 2023, “How to Flourish: An Ancient Guide to Living Well” is an abridged translation of Aristotle’s “Nicomachean Ethics” by Susan Sauvé Meyer. This work distills Aristotle’s exploration of human flourishing, emphasizing the cultivation of virtue through habitual practice and intellectual engagement. Aristotle provides practical guidance on various aspects of daily life, including managing emotions, financial prudence, and social interactions, while also distinguishing different forms of wisdom essential for a fulfilling life. Meyer’s translation aims to make these classical insights more accessible to contemporary readers, offering connecting commentary and presenting the original Greek text alongside the English translation.
How to Flourish
My Thoughts
Honestly, I read this nearly 3 week ago and I don’t remember any takeaways from the book. It gave a lot of generalizations but nothing worth remembering.
Recommendation
Just read the Nicomachean Ethics straight from the source.
Published in the 4th century BCE, “Politics” by Aristotle is a foundational work in political philosophy that examines the structure and purpose of the state. Aristotle argues that humans are inherently political beings and explores different forms of government, including monarchy, aristocracy, and democracy, analyzing their strengths and weaknesses. He emphasizes the role of virtue and education in governance and considers the relationship between the individual and the state. The work also discusses economic structures, the role of slavery, and the concept of citizenship, laying the groundwork for later political thought.
Politics
My Thoughts
I find Aristotle to be a master of classification and observation. This narrative was delivered in “books” which seem to be delivered as a series of lectures. Of course, it was so long ago that we aren’t quite sure what form they were in while Aristotle delivered them. Who knows how much was lost in time or through translation. Again, it would be helpful to know Greek since there is so much nuance of meaning that I believe is missing.
I find I want to stop and ask questions as he is going along a train of thought. That it can certainly be frustrating to read. I should spend more time to wrestle with the ideas, but I’m not sure I have that much attention span at the moment.
Published in 2008, “Masters of Greek Thought: Plato, Socrates, and Aristotle” is a 36-lecture course by Professor Robert C. Bartlett that delves into the philosophies of these three seminal figures. The course examines Socrates’ method of inquiry and his focus on ethical questions, Plato’s development of the theory of forms and his vision of an ideal state, and Aristotle’s extensive contributions across various fields, including logic, metaphysics, and ethics. Through these lectures, the course explores how each philosopher built upon the ideas of his predecessor, shaping the foundation of Western philosophical thought.
Masters of Greek Thought: Plato, Socrates, and Aristotle
My Thoughts
My head hurts… Honestly, this lecture series really slowed my intake of information as I was grappling with the concepts and implications of these differing perspectives. Layer on a few thousand years of criticism and experience and it is surprising how well the ideas have held up.
It is very hard to identify a takeaway from this experience as I’m not through processing all of it. Professor Bartlett does an admirable job of pointing these roots of Western thought, but having grown up in the West, very little was new or surprising.
Recommendation
This series requires time to derive the value. However, it was worth it.
Published in around 335 BCE (as a treatise, not a book in the modern sense) “How to Tell a Story” by Aristotle is not a book Aristotle himself wrote, but rather a modern work summarizing and interpreting his ideas from Poetics, Aristotle’s influential treatise on storytelling and drama.
How to Tell a Story
My Thoughts
Interesting notes able were the interesting stories are those that can be related to but not too predicable. Don’t have too much plot or you risk losing your audience. Use plot points that are possible and believable. Keep the voice of the author to a minimum and allow the characters to tell the story. There was a large amount of time spent on the formation of words and their placement in the work. This isn’t too much of a surprise as the ancient writers were poets. For example, Aristotle says the iambic is the closest meter to common speech and therefore should be used if the author seeks for clarity. This type of thought seems foreign to my modern sense of writing which is more focused on meaning than meter. It’s a pity I don’t speak Greek so I could see the applications of the works.
Recommendation
Very interesting read. I think this could stand reasonably well today.
Published in 1978, “Aristotle for Everybody” by Mortimer J. Adler serves as an accessible introduction to Aristotle’s philosophy. Adler simplifies complex ideas, covering topics such as logic, ethics, and metaphysics, to make them understandable for general readers. The book outlines Aristotle’s theories on human nature, reasoning, happiness, and practical wisdom, illustrating how these concepts are relevant to everyday life. Adler aims to present Aristotle’s work as a guide for achieving intellectual growth and ethical living.
Aristotle for Everybody
My Thoughts
This book was written as an application of the principles of Aristotle rather than expounding on the teachings directly. As such, it would be useful for someone who is struggling to understand how Aristotle would see our world today and how his system of reasoning would be applicable to everyone. I found it useful.
Recommendation
A bit stuffy, but a great primer into basic philosophy.
Published in 2008, “Aristotle: An Introduction” by Hugh Griffith offers an accessible overview of Aristotle’s philosophy, emphasizing his belief in underlying systems and order governing all aspects of life, including human conduct. The work includes introductions and excerpts from Aristotle’s treatises, notably “The History of Animals” and “Nicomachean Ethics,” exploring topics such as the best kind of life and the ideal society to facilitate it.
Aristotle: An Introduction
My Thoughts
This work centered much more on the content of the collective works of Aristotle including several lengthy readings directly from the originals. Aristotle tried to put the entire world in order and was interested in just about everything. Most of his work would even stand up to our modern definitions despite the lack of our instruments and technology.
There were many interesting observations on several subjects like the sheep as not particularly intelligent and the hind (deer) as much more so among non-non-predatory animals. Praising bees for working together and lions for the same. His thoughts about when to marry (18 years for women and 37 years for men) were interesting as well. (As noted from a previous book, this was when he himself was married so it was fun to see it in his own text). His reasoning was a woman needs to be old enough to have children but not too old to be at risk. Whereas a man should be past the action part of his life and gaining wisdom. Unlike Plato, Aristotle did not see the sexes as equal. He also saw manual labor to be the dominion of slaves (servile) and the labor of thinking to be the dominion of the free peoples (liberal). Of course, this was as much a reflection of the ancient world as it was of Aristotle himself.
Recommendation
The book was easily approached and understood. A good read.
Published in 1996, “Aristotle in 90 Minutes” by Paul Strathern provides a concise overview of Aristotle’s life and philosophical contributions. The book explores Aristotle’s extensive work across various fields, including logic, ethics, politics, and natural sciences, highlighting his methodical approach to categorizing human knowledge. Strathern presents Aristotle’s ideas in an accessible manner, offering insights into his influence on Western thought. The text includes selections from Aristotle’s writings, chronologies to contextualize his era, and suggestions for further reading, serving as an introductory guide for those interested in understanding Aristotle’s impact on philosophy.
Aristotle in 90 Minutes
My Thoughts
As I approached the writings of “The Great Philosopher”, I thought it might be a good idea to get some supporting texts under my belt before I start on his writings. This may turn out to be a terrible idea as I am already influenced by what I’ve read. (I’m reading three other books on the subject.) However, I believe I will get more out of Aristotle’s thoughts if I come at it with some familiarity.
This was a good bird’s eye view of the life and teachings of Aristotle. As I have studied his life before, very little was a surprise other than some of his personal life. (E.g. Falling in love.) However, it was a great reminder and has been useful in tying everything together.
Recommendation
This would be a great book to start off studying the work of Aristotle and understanding the major events in his life.
Believed to be written around 375 BC, Plato’s “The Republic” is a foundational philosophical text that explores the nature of justice, the structure of an ideal society, and the role of individuals within it. Written as a Socratic dialogue, it primarily features Socrates engaging with various interlocutors on topics such as justice, governance, education, and the human soul. The text introduces key concepts, including the tripartite structure of the soul, the allegory of the cave, and the theory of forms. Plato uses these ideas to argue for a society governed by philosopher-kings, where rationality and wisdom guide decisions for the collective good. The Republic remains a seminal work in Western philosophy, influencing discussions on ethics, politics, and epistemology.
The Republic
My Thoughts
When reading through Socrates’s proofs, I feel like a steel ring is put in my nose and I’m led calmly along to the slaughter. This was even more the case as I was listening to it via audiobook. So often through the text, I wanted to stop Socrates and make contrary points. Or at least grab the interrogator and slap him a few times for his one word replies. The subject matter in the narrative is treated as black and white, but there is so much gray, it was very difficult to move on to another topic. I wanted to engage more on reflect on it much more than I took to the time to do so. I guess people have been engaging with it for over two thousand years so maybe I shouldn’t feel too bad about it.
I took a course on this work that had an interesting take on person of Socrates. Namely, Plato invented Socrates to establish a groundwork and then build off of that work. His “teacher” was in fact his creation which would speak even more to the genius of Plato and his rhetorical abilities. That thought in mind extensively colored the reading and caused my perspective to be even more contrary than my norm.
Recommendation
This is seminal importance to western thought and, as such, deserves some time and thought. However, it will take time and thought so I would recommend to plan accordingly.
