Aristotle - Metaphysics, Nicomachean Ethics and Eudemian Ethics, On the Soul & Parva Naturalia, Organon, Physics, Politics, Rhetoric and Poetics

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Metaphysics
Aristotle’s Metaphysics was the first major study of the subject of metaphysics - in other words, an inquiry into ‘first philosophy’, or ‘wisdom’. It differs from Physics, which is concerned with the natural world: things which are subject to the laws of nature, things that move and change, are measurable. In Metaphysics, the study falls on ‘being qua being’ - being insofar as it is being; the causes and principles of being, the causes and principles of substances. Aristotle asks, what is existence? How can things continue to exist yet change, and how can we best understand the world we live in?
The work as it has come down to us is a compilation of Aristotle’s writing on the subject made in Alexandria in the first century CE, and it proved enormously influential from the Greeks onward, through the medieval and Renaissance periods. In Metaphysics, Aristotle absorbed Plato’s view that nature is eternal and unchangeable while accepting that we live in a world that appears full of change. A challenging work, Metaphysics is divided into 14 books. It begins with the causes of things and questions the existence of God, the understanding of ‘being’ and the concept of ’substance’. It proceeds to consider ‘actuality’, ‘potentiality’ and ‘unity’.
This first recording, using the clear translation by W. D. Ross, is presented in a measured and comprehensible manner by James Cameron Stewart.

Nicomachean Ethics and Eudemian Ethics
Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics and Eudemian Ethics represent, in many ways, the Western classical springboard for the systematic study and implementation of ethics, the optimum behaviour of the individual. (By contrast, Aristotle’s Politics concerns the optimum blueprint for the city-state.) It is in the hands of each individual, he argues in these books on personal ethics, to develop a character which bases a life on virtue, with positive but moderate habits.
The Nicomachean Ethics, the primary work (the title is said to come from his son Nicomachus and is generally regarded as having been essentially notes for lectures), is divided into 10 books. It opens with a statement on who should study ethics and why and that the pursuance of moral virtue leads to happiness. Courage, temperance, magnanimity, honesty and friendship are among the many qualities considered. Aristotle also outlines some of the obstacles to developing virtue. Throughout, the emphasis is placed on the practical advantages of developing positive ethics – this is practical philosophy.
The Eudemian Ethics (named after a pupil of Aristotle, Eudemus of Rhodes) is a shorter work, and in fact its chapters four, five and six are identical to chapters five, six and seven in the Nicomachean Ethics. (They are not replicated in this recording of the Eudemian Ethics.) It is now widely felt by scholars that this work preceded the Nicomachean Ethics and therefore offers Aristotle’s earlier thoughts on the subject. Despite the similarities, the Eudemian Ethics contains other material (the virtue of ‘mildness’ appears) and places different emphases or expansions in certain areas; for example, it offers a particularly detailed consideration of the key concepts of virtue, wisdom and pleasure.
In both these important books, the characteristically clear and systematic manner with which Aristotle deals with the whole question of ethics makes an audio recording especially accessible. The works are read with a persuasive clarity by Andrew Cullum.
Nicomachean Ethics translation: W D Ross.
Eudemian Ethics translation: H. Rackham.

On the Soul & Parva Naturalia
Two contrasting reflections by Aristotle which cover very particular ground. In ‘On the Soul’, Aristotle presents his view of the ‘life essence’ which, he argues, is possessed by living things whether plants, animals or humans.
Not a ’soul’ in the generally accepted Western use of the term, this ’soul’, he says, is a life force that is indivisible from the organism that possesses it. The essay is divided into three books. Presenting his concept in book I, he further describes the structure of the ’souls’ of plants, animals and humans in book II and book III.
In ‘The Parva Naturalia’ (’Little Physical Treatises’), Aristotle continues his investigation into the biology of life and the links between body and ’soul’. It consists of seven essays: ‘Sense and Sensibilia’, ‘On Memory’, ‘On Sleep’, ‘On Dreams’, ‘On Divination in Sleep’, ‘On Length and Shortness of Life’, ‘On Youth’, ‘Old Age’, ‘Life and Death’ and ‘Respiration’.
Translation by A. J. Smith.
Translation by J I Beare and G R T Ross.

Organon
Aristotle’s Organon comprises six key essays on logic, initially collected by Theophrastus, his successor as head of the Peripatetic school, and given its final form by Andronicus some three centuries later. The six essays are: Categories, On Interpretation, Prior Analytics, Posterior Analytics, Topics and On Sophistical Refutations. One of the principal topics of Aristotle’s focus is syllogism, in which two premises (one major, one minor) lead to a conclusion. This features in Prior Analytics and On Interpretation.
In the other essays, Aristotle considers the structure of being, knowledge and argument. The Organon collection has remained a core text in the study of logic and prompted many commentaries by philosophers down the ages following their translation from Greek into Latin in the 12th century. The translations here are by E. M Edghill, A. J. Jenkinson, G. R. G Mure and W. A. Pickard-Cambridge.

Physics
No less a figure than Bertrand Russell remarked that Aristotle’s Physics was ‘extremely influential and dominated science until the time of Galileo’. This was despite the fact that this work is as much a collection of ‘lectures on nature’ rather than dealing with the science of physics as we understand the term.
Aristotle considers ‘the principles and causes of change, or movement’ behind both animate and inanimate things. It is philosophy, not science, but over centuries affected the views of those involved in the ‘natural sciences’.
The text emerged from the Lyceum, the school founded by Aristotle, and is accepted to be a compilation of texts, some of which - but perhaps not all - is by Aristotle. Regardless of authorship, its importance is unquestioned.
It is divided into eight books (and further divided into shorter chapters) and begins with an examination into change - and Aristotle’s main ideas of matter and form. The investigative net is thrown wide to encompass infinity, causation, movement, void, time and continuity. The study concludes in book VIII (the longest book) with a consideration of the universe and its nature - eternal or finite - and questions the existence of gods, God (a Prime Mover figure?) and the continued existence of motion.
Translation: R. P. Hardie and R. K Gaye.

Politics
The title Politics literally means ‘the things concerning the city’. Here, Aristotle considers the important role that politics plays in the life of the community and its contribution to harmonious and virtuous existence.
It is divided into eight books and was a cornerstone in political philosophy for centuries despite certain features - including attitudes towards slaves and women - clearly placing its conclusions and advice within the confines of Athenian society of the fourth century BCE. Aristotle’s fundamental view is that the individual needs the city more than the city needs the individual, not least because a well-ordered city-state offers obvious benefits beyond simply self-protection and commerce. It makes possible a broader life, allowing in addition education and leisure, leading its citizens towards a life of virtue.
In book two, Aristotle considers the best regime for the city, looking at the three main forms of his time - democracy, oligarchy/aristocracy and monarchy. He considers the qualification to be a citizen and participate in the political process - offering a wider view than Plato, for example.
Revolution, change, constitutional developments, insurrections - these issues of instability are discussed with references to specific examples. And in later books he proposes the conditions for the best state, the ideal state, ‘for a state is not a community of living beings only, but a community of equals, aiming at the best life possible’.
Aristotle’s Politics is a seminal text and is read here by Andrew Cullum with clarity and purpose. Translation: Benjamin Jowett.

Rhetoric and Poetics
Poetics and Rhetoric are the two major works by Aristotle which, after more than 2,000 years, remain key behavioural handbooks for anyone interested in story, performance, presentation and indeed psychology.
The continuing influence of Poetics, for example, is readily discernible even among the scriptwriters of Hollywood! Poetics is the shorter work, lasting under two hours, whereas Rhetoric - the art of persuasion, an important subject, particularly in Greek and Roman times but even today - is more extensive, running to nearly nine hours.
In Poetics, Aristotle discusses the structure behind drama, comedy, tragedy and the satire plays as well as lyric poetry, epic poetry and music. The structure of a work, the plot, the characters as well as pace and rhythm are all considered. To listen to Poetics is a revelation, like going back to the source of literary theory.
Aristotle developed his view on rhetoric over a period of 40 years, and the work is now regarded as the key source on the subject. In a largely oral world, the ability to speak well and persuade by presentation was crucial to success in human affairs. All the major figures of the period studied the best ways to deliver the spoken word - a necessary skill for orators at all levels. For Aristotle, there were three major elements: ethos (the personal character of the speaker), pathos (the emotional influence of the speaker on the audience) and logos (the content and the argument). Rhetoric consists of three books, dividing the topic into the overview, the means of persuasion and the style.
A fascinating document, it remains required study in the 21st century, not only for public speakers but those involved in all circumstances where persuasion is involved. With ethos - the character of the speaker - underpinning the subject, the positive nature of art of persuasion should be paramount!
Poetics is translated by S. H. Butcher. Rhetoric is translated by W. Rhys Roberts. Both are read clearly by James Cameron Stewart.

Length: 91 hours 36 minutes | 75kbps | ePub, PDF, M4B