Where to start with Aristotle?

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Hi,
I am interested in reading Aristotle and would like to hear some recommendations of where to start.
I was thinking, given the good reviews, that “Aristotle: A Very Short Introduction” would be a good starting point and then start by reading his “Metaphysics”.

What do you think? Any suggestion is welcome.

Thanks!
 
I would recommend both a primer in philosophy to read along with an introduction to philosophy.

Here are a couple of excellent introductions to Aristotle from reliable sources:

Aristotle for Everybody: Difficult Thought Made Easy by Mortimer Adler
ISBN-10: 0020641117

Aristotle: A Contemporary Appreciation by Henry Veatch
ISBN-10: 0253201748

I would also recommend reading a general introduction to philosophy which can put Aristotle into the context of the pre-socratics and Scholastic thought:

An Introduction to Philosophy by Jacques Maritain
ISBN-10: 0742550532

Happy reading!
 
I think it is very important to understand the Presocratics (I don’t remember the name of the text I have). Also, Plato. Much of what Aristotle has to say is in direct response to these. When I started reading Aristotle, I felt lost because I didn’t have this background. But perhaps you already know these…
 
chipeto said:
I think it is very important to understand the Presocratics (I don’t remember the name of the text I have). Also, Plato. Much of what Aristotle has to say is in direct response to these. When I started reading Aristotle, I felt lost because I didn’t have this background. But perhaps you already know these…
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Well, to what extent must one know the Pre-socratics and Plato before reading Aristotle? I have the volume of Plato which you linked to but I have only read the Symposium and I have also listened to a lecture on Greek Philosophy by The Teaching Company which covers the Pre-Socratics, Socrates and Plato.

Would that be enough? If I decide to read a book like “Aristotle: A Very Short Introduction”, wouldn’t it provide the necessary background/foundation to then jump to read directly Aristotle’s works?

Thanks for the responses so far!
 
Asimis said:
Hi,
I am interested in reading Aristotle and would like to hear some recommendations of where to start.
I was thinking, given the good reviews, that “Aristotle: A Very Short Introduction” would be a good starting point and then start by reading his “Metaphysics”.

What do you think? Any suggestion is welcome.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
For a crash course in one book as an introduction, I would recommend “The Last Superstition” by Edward Feser. He’s a Thomist. I’m new to this but really enjoyed his book.
 
Asimis said:
Well, to what extent must one know the Pre-socratics and Plato before reading Aristotle? I have the volume of Plato which you linked to but I have only read the Symposium and I have also listened to a lecture on Greek Philosophy by The Teaching Company which covers the Pre-Socratics, Socrates and Plato.

Would that be enough? If I decide to read a book like “Aristotle: A Very Short Introduction”, wouldn’t it provide the necessary background/foundation to then jump to read directly Aristotle’s works?
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I don’t know enough to say. I’m not sure how well these modern introductions cover the necessary material; I’ve not read any of them.
 
chipeto said:
I don’t know enough to say. I’m not sure how well these modern introductions cover the necessary material; I’ve not read any of them.
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Fair enough, what do you consider the necessary material to be? If one is already familiar with St. Augustine, St. Thomas and Thomism, would this provide a good foundation?
 
I was recommended in another board to read his Physics and On The Soul before jumping into his Metaphysics as these would give the concepts and foundation which that work presupposes.
 
I would recommend starting with the Categories, since these provide a foundation for all his works.

I would also recommend reading Aristotle through Thomas Aquinas’ commentaries; his commentaries on both Physics and Metaphysics contain Aristotle’s text with Thomas’ commentary–so you get two great thinkers in one!
 
Acapiteadcalcem said:
I would recommend starting with the Categories, since these provide a foundation for all his works.
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Ah, cool…thanks 🙂
I would also recommend reading Aristotle through Thomas Aquinas’ commentaries; his commentaries on both Physics and Metaphysics contain Aristotle’s text with Thomas’ commentary–so you get two great thinkers in one!
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Do you know of a good resource where they may be found online?
 
Some good suggestions here. If you are doing The Politics, try the Carnes Lord translation.
 
Nichomachean Ethics.

Best place to start.

I also agree with Aristotle For Everybody. 👍🙂
 
OrdinaryMelkite said:
Nichomachean Ethics.

Best place to start.
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I heard that this was actually a very complex work as it is written much later and shows Aristotle’s more developed thoughts. I started with his Physics, which I saw recommended in the Very Short Introduction book as the best place to start.

Thanks!
 
Asimis said:
I heard that this was actually a very complex work as it is written much later and shows Aristotle’s more developed thoughts. I started with his Physics, which I saw recommended in the Very Short Introduction book as the best place to start.
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I found Nicomachean Ethics to be easier than Physics, though I confess that I have not finished the latter. I started on it (Physics, or Natural Hearing (William of Moerbeke Translation Series), this has an awesome introduction), got thoroughly confused, and decided that I needed to understand the pre-socratics and Plato better. So I read Philosophy Before Socrates: An Introduction With Text and Commentary and about half of Plato’s complete works, and then life got in the way. 🙂
 
Asimis said:
Yes it is there. I wonder, is it readable? I heard that the style is rather tedious given that the commentary proceeds in a line by line basis.
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Yes, there is that! I suppose you could also argue that you need a commentary of Aquinas in order to understand his commentary of Aristotle! Maybe the best way forward is to read those introductions. When I was introduced to Aristotle, it was with an Aristotelian professor who took us through the Categories and logic works before going on to physics and metaphysics.

Ever thought of doing an online course or distance learning course in Aristotle? You wouldn’t have to do a whole degree, but you’d get a solid foundation in Aristotle.
 
Acapiteadcalcem said:
Yes, there is that! I suppose you could also argue that you need a commentary of Aquinas in order to understand his commentary of Aristotle!
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:whacky:
Ever thought of doing an online course or distance learning course in Aristotle? You wouldn’t have to do a whole degree, but you’d get a solid foundation in Aristotle.
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That would be nice, are there any that you would recommend? Hopefully the costs are not too high given that my reading of Aristotle is not for the sake of turning into a professional philosopher or anything 🙂
 
Asimis said:
That would be nice, are there any that you would recommend? Hopefully the costs are not too high given that my reading of Aristotle is not for the sake of turning into a professional philosopher or anything 🙂
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I’m in the UK, so our options here are a bit different. But I did take a couple of course a few years ago via distance learning at Holy Apostles Seminary & College in the US. The courses were excellent. You will get a thorough and reliable reading in Aristotle there.

Here’s a link:
holyapostles.edu/

Not sure if it’s what you’re after, but perhaps a starting point…
 
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