Philosophy of Aristotle: A New Selection

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Exploration of Aristotle...
Review: British scholar Renford Bambrough'S THE PHILOSOPHY OF ARISTOTLE is superlative collection of key Books from works of preeminent philosopher of the WESTERN TRADITION. Aristotle remains, as Thomas Aquinas called him in THE SUMMA, "The Philosopher". In our PM Age of intellectual mediocrity affecting Wisdom in robes of Deconstructionists; wearing Cardboard Masks of Heideggerians and speaking language of Political Correctness...or as Czeslaw Milosz asserts...THE CAPTIVE MIND,ideas of THE MASTER of THOSE WHO KNOW(Dante)seem startlingly clear and worthy of regard.

"All Men by Nature desire to have knowledge," is one of the most luminous,optimistic characterizations of humanity ever proposed. HAPPINESS IS AN ACTIVITY OF THE SOUL IN ACCORDANCE WITH VIRTUE;is profound ethical maxim. The ORGANON...comprising Logic & Language Categories...permits study and description of REALITY(Being; Substance;Ousia)yielding TRUTH (or Science: a body or Logos of knowledge)highly impervious to attacks by NEW AGE SKEPTICS or old age solipsists.

Man(unless he is "god" or a beast)is fundamentally relational.By Nature he pursues(his)Telos(end/purpose)in Community(which Greeks termed Polis). In Book I(pp 382-383)of POLITICS, Aristotle defends fundamental communal unit,MARRIAGE: "First of all there has to be association of those persons who cannot exist apart from one another,namely male and female in order to Reproduce. This cannot be a matter of choice but as with(other)animals and plants, it is PART OF NATURE TO DESIRE TO LEAVE SOMETHING LIKE ONESELF BEHIND."

Professor Bambrough's Introduction to ETHICS is particularly enlightening because of clarification of Aristotle's ubiquitous use of GOOD. The latter is "telos", or purpose of ACTIONS and all being "incarnations".("Good" fruit trees bear healthful fruit;"good" birds fly in freedom; fish swim; MAN "knows"...with ultimate knowledge as wisdom: SOPHIA.) The notion of the GOOD receives extensive discussion in The Physics and METAPHYSICS as entelichy; driving CAUSE which perfects and consummates BEING. Thus LIFE has meaning for those willing to look for, and choose/pursue that which most fully "actualizes" itself. Angst-ridden riddles of Existentialists subsequently take serious battering from Ace. And,in my estimate(more properly,Professor Bambrough in this wonderful edition/translation of THE PHILOSOPHY OF ARISTOTLE), the intellectual onanism of PM-DECONSTRUCTIONISTS reduces itself to obscure, marginally defensible dreck.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent !
Review: There are many reasons why this little book is worth more than its weight in gold.The editor has done the most admirable job in selecting the best translations and in including appropriate excerpts from Aristotle's voluminous work.The brief editorial introductions to each of the great philosopher's "books" are gems of historical and interpretive insight and in themselves well worth the purchase.The flowing and flawless English of these brilliant translations make reading it irresistible while being sensitive to matetial where, as Aristotle himself said, language and reality are inseparable.The material is, of course, unsurpassed. Aristotle is simply the greatest mind to have ever walked on this Earth.If you have not experienced Aristotle and if you are willing to make the effort to understand some difficult concepts, you are virtually certain to gain the most important and fundamental knowledge through this book. Then your life will never be the same again.