Major Works
Politics
- Aristotle: The Politics. trans. Carnes Lord, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1984First lines: “Every state is a community of some kind, and every community is established with a view to some good; for mankind always act in order to obtain that which they think good. But, if all communities aim at some good, the state or political… More
Commentary
Index Aristotelicus
- Bonitz, H. Index Aristotelicus, ed. 2, Berlin 1870. Reprint: Graz 1955.Aristotle
- Jaffa, Harry. "Aristotle." In Strauss, Leo, and Joseph Cropsey, eds. History of Political Philosophy. Chicago: Rand MacNally, 1972.Excerpt: “The subject of Aristotle’s Politics is the polis or political community. There is no single English word that will translate polis, and to understand why is indispensable to any introduction to Aristotle’s political philosophy. The… MoreAristotle and Political Responsibility
- Winthrop, Delba. "Aristotle and Political Responsibility." Political Theory, 3 (4): 406-422 (1975).Excerpt: “When citizens take politics seriously, their actions and their unsophisticated explanations of them imply that politics is something on which they, as rational and moral beings, can have some effect: they make deliberate choices, and such… MoreArticles on Aristotle
- Barnes, J., Schofield, M., Sorabji, R. [eds.] Articles on Aristotle, 4 vol., London, Duckworth, 1975.Excerpt: “This well conceived and well prepared collection is the first volume of a projected 4 volume series which promises to fill a long standing need for anthologies on the main branches of Aristotle’s thought. Its central topic,… MoreAristotle’s Political Theory
- Mulgan, Richard. Aristotle’s Political Theory. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1977.From Review: “Mulgan as an article and orderly Van Aristotle himself. He begins with the human good and as with political disorder (no cynicism is intended); in between, the nature of political science, the polis, the household, constitutions, the… MoreAims and Methods in Aristotle’s Politics
- Rowe, Christopher J. “Aims and Methods in Aristotle’s Politics.” Classical Quarterly 27: 159-72, 1977.Excerpt: ” This originated in an attempt to come to terms with the problems which arise from the structure of the politics. It is no news to anyone who has the slightest familiarity with the politics that the work reads, to borrow a phrase of… MoreAristotle and Theories of Justice by Delba Winthrop
- Winthrop, Delba. "Aristotle and Theories of Justice." American Political Science Review, Vol. 72, No. 4 Dec. 1978.Abstract: “Today it is all the rage for political theorists and even philosophers to have theories of justice. Looking back on the history of political thought, we cannot help but notice that not all previous philosophers have taken justice and theories… MoreThe Character and Composition of Aristotle’s Politics
- Lord, Carnes. “The Character and Composition of Aristotle’s Politics.” Political Theory 9 : 459-78, 1981.Excerpt: “If Aristotle’s Politics continues to be less studied than might seem appropriate for a work of its unchallenged eminence in the tradition of political theory, much of the reason surely lies in the unresolved tangle of questions bearing… MoreEducation and Culture in the Political Thought of Aristotle by Carnes Lord
- Lord, Carnes. Education and Culture in the Political Thought of Aristotle. Ithaca: Cornell U. Press, 1982.From a Review: “Lord’s study of Aristotle, which for the most part is a commentary on the last 2 books of the politics, has as its main purpose the reputation of the long-standing opinion that modern literary criticism has its origins in… MoreDie politische Philosophie des Aristoteles und ihre metaphysischen Grundlagen
- Kamp, Andrea. Die politische Philosophie des Aristoteles und ihre metaphysischen Grundlagen. Freiburg: Alber, 1985.La Politique d’Aristote: Unité et Fractures
- Pellegrin, Pierre. “La Politique d’Aristote: Unité et Fractures.” Revue Philosophique de la France et de l’Etranger 177: 129-59.Aristotle’s Theory of the State
- Johnson, Curtis. Aristotle’s Theory of the State. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1990.Review: “The main thesis of this … book is that ‘ through the many twists and turns of Aristotle’s writing on the subject of politics which holds the many parts of the politics together one may identify an inner logic, however… MoreA Companion to Aristotle’s Politics
- Keyt, David, and Fred D. Miller, Jr. eds. A Companion to Aristotle’s Politics. Oxford: Blackwell, 1991.Review: “In the past twenty years there has been renewed interest among scholars in Aristotle’s Politics, and A Companion to Aristotle’s “Politics” is a welcome addition to the literature. It consists of 15 essays: 1 first… MoreThe Poetics of Alfarabi and Avicenna
- Kemal, S. The Poetics of Alfarabi and Avicenna. Leiden, 1991.Excerpt: “This book examines the nature of poetic validity and its role in forming a community. It considers these issues in the writings of some Arabic literary critics and in studies of poetics and Aristotle’s Poetics by two medieval Arabic… MoreCitizens and Statesmen: A study of Aristotle’s Politics
- Nichols, Mary P. Citizens and Statesmen: A study of Aristotle’s Politics. Lanham, Md.: Rowman and Littlefield, 1992.Excerpt: ” In the first two books of the Politics, Aristotle explores the dual origins of the city. He gives to explanations of why human beings are political animals and why the city is natural. Human beings are political animals, in the 1st place,… MorePublic and Private in Aristotle’s Politics
- Swanson, J. and D. Corbin. Public and Private in Aristotle’s Politics. Ithaca: Cornell U. Press, 1992.Review: “In this work Swanson set out to challenge modern liberal interpretations of the Politics. At issue is whether or not Aristotle that here’s to the rigid public/private that emerges, for example, in Hannah Arendt’s decidedly… MoreThe Political Dimensions of Aristotle’s Ethics
- Bodéüs, Richard. The Political Dimensions of Aristotle’s Ethics. Trans. J. E. Garrett. Albany: SUNY press, 1993.Excerpt: “The first encounter between [Plato and Aristotle] probably took place in the year 366 BC. They were Associates, at Athens, in almost constant interaction, until the death of Plato in May 347. However, the master left his imprint forever upon… MoreThe Problems of a Political Animal
- Yack, Bernard. The Problems of a Political Animal. Berkeley: U. of Cal. Press, 1993.Excerpt: “The shared sentiments and commitments that constitute a community are often the source of its deepest conflicts. Anyone who has lived in a family rather than merely longed for a home knows that all too well. Strangers may cheat you, but only… MoreNature, Justice and Rights in Aristotle’s Politics
- Miller, Fred D., Jr. Nature, Justice and Rights in Aristotle’s Politics. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1995.Review: “Fred Miller’s Nature, Justice and Rights in Aristotle’s Politics It is an important book. It covers a wide range of topics including what Aristotle means by saying that man is naturally a political animal, Aristotle’s taxonomy… MoreThe Politics of Philosophy: A Commentary on Aristotle’s Politics
- Davis, Michael. The Politics of Philosophy: A commentary on Aristotle’s Politics. Rowman and Littlefield, 1996.Excerpt: “One cannot help bringing expectations to Aristotle’s Politics, many of which are unfavorable, not to say hostile. How can someone immersed in the problems of Athens of the 4th century BC and of the polis, a form of government that can… MoreAristotle: Political Philosophy
- Kraut, Richard. Aristotle: Political Philosophy. Oxford: Oxford U. Press, 2002.Excerpt: “To understand and assess Aristotle’s contributions to political thought, we must come to terms not only with the treatise whose political content is advertised by its title—the Politics—but also with the work that bears the peculiar… MoreAristotle and the Rediscovery of Citizenship by Susan Collins
- Collins, Susan. Aristotle and the Rediscovery of Citizenship. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007.Excerpt: “The Aristotelian tradition became almost moribund with the success of modern liberalism and of attacks such as those of Hobbes on the many “absurdities” of the “old Morall Philosophers,” Aristotle chief among them. Yet today… MoreAristotle, Politics, Book I: A Reconsideration
- Winthrop, Delba. "Aristotle, Politics, Book I: A reconsideration." Perspectives on Political Science 37.4 (Fall 2008).Modern science, particularly Thomas Hobbes, begins with a broad attack on Aristotle intended to replace “Aristotelity” in the universities. This attack, however, was superficial and never properly reconsidered when Hobbes and his cohort were in… MoreAristotle’s ‘Politics’: A Reader’s Guide
- Swanson, J. Aristotle’s ‘Politics’: A Reader’s Guide. Continuum Press, 2009Excerpt: ” Related to the subject of Aristotle on natural justice and nature generally, is the disputed unity of his corpus. Aristotle wrote a number of works on a number of subjects and maintains that different degrees of precision are obtainable about… MoreAristotle’s Teaching in the “Politics” by Thomas Pangle
- Pangle, Thomas. Aristotle’s Teaching in the “Politics.” Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2013.In this work, Thomas Pangle offers a detailed, brilliant interpretation of Aristotle’s Politics, that argues, among other things, that “Aristotle’s public theorizing about political practice is a highly self-conscious form of political… More
Multimedia
Steven Smith – Intro to Political Philosophy: Aristotle II
- Smith, Steven B., "Introduction to Political Philosophy," Open Yale Courses, 24 lectures, Fall 2006.About the course: This course is intended as an introduction to political philosophy as seen through an examination of some of the major texts and thinkers of the Western political tradition. Three broad themes that are central to understanding political life… MoreSteven Smith – Intro to Political Philosophy: Aristotle I
- Smith, Steven B., "Introduction to Political Philosophy," Open Yale Courses, 24 lectures, Fall 2006.About the course: This course is intended as an introduction to political philosophy as seen through an examination of some of the major texts and thinkers of the Western political tradition. Three broad themes that are central to understanding political life… MoreAristotle’s Guide to the Good Life
- Robert Bartlett of Boston College delivers a talk ("Aristotle's Guide to the Good Life") at Emory University (Sept. 12, 2012).