The Nicomachean Ethics (Penguin Classics)

Great book! This is a book that everyone should read because it's about happiness, and also because it was written by a genius named Aristotle!

Let me start this review by stating that Aristotle has always been my go to guy for insight in regards to how things really are. Aristotle became one of my favorite philosophers after the first time I read about him. Aristotle to me is the ultimate point man, he's the ultimate right hand man! This guy's intellect is outstanding! Aristotle's insight is truly one of a kind...well,(scratches the noggin) I should say two, three, four, five of a kind because this guy is so versatile in his thinking that it's hard to believe he came to all these conclusions on his own. It comes across like a meeting of the minds, brilliant minds, but his thoughts are his own though...genius. Now to address the formalities: I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone who is comfortable with waddling in the shallow end of the pool at all. This book is deep! Aristotle's teachings are ocean floor deep, scuba gear might be required. I also wouldn't recommend this book to anyone who is impatient or hasty in their thought process. There are some idle moments in between the time he starts in on a subject until the time he reaches a conclusion, but it's always worth it in the end though. That maybe why there are so many different translations of it. Now that that's out of the way, let me get into why I love this guy's point of view. First of all : Aristotle was so legit that King Phillip hand picked him to educate his son Alexander. Aristotle was so bossy about it that he told Phillip to keep the classroom, the only way he would agree was if Phillip built him an entire school! Now that's what you call clout! Anyway, Alexander went on to be great, hence the name "Alexander The Great". If I were preparing to establish my empire, while simultaneously envisioning a dynasty, and I could hand pick anybody to be my point man, I would probably choose Aristotle and here's why: There were many kings throughout ancient history; and there were many different types, personalities, and characteristics among them. I've narrowed it down to three different types: The noble king, the warrior king, and the wise king. Some of the most infamous kings were warrior kings, like Julius Caesar and "Alexander The Great"; who specialized in hostile takeovers through the use of brute force. Every once in a while there would come along a wise king like Marcus Aurelius; whose profound insight and great authoritative principles still resonate with people in positions of leadership all across the world to this day. Then there's the noble king, like Fredrich Wilhelm; who along with Otto Von Bismarck maintained leadership by earning the trust of his territory's occupants, and making thoughtful decisions that would ultimately benefit all it's inhabitants for the better throughout his reign. Wilhelm and Bismarck were able to unify Germany and enjoy relative peace as a result. Now there were kings who made reckless decisions during their reign, like "Alexander The Great"; who once he had acquired a substantial amount of power begin to abandon the teachings of Aristotle and behave in a manner contrary to how he was brought up. He engaged in behavior that wasn't very becoming of "The Magnanimous Man". Although, very powerful while he was alive, he had left such a bad taste in the mouths of his territories inhabitants that soon after Alexander was dead his entire blood line was executed. The abuse of power is usually the culprit when events like this take place. The same as with the case of King Tarquinius and his son Sextus who were overthrown due to abuse of power. The people I just listed were people who were only able to acquire kingdoms in their lifetime, but having someone like Aristotle in your corner on a consistent basis is how you would actually establish and sustain a kingdom, there's a big difference. What "Alexander The Great" experienced in his time was the equivalent of 15 minutes of fame, compared to a legacy he could've passed down from generation to generation had he not abandoned the doctrines of Aristotle. That's all ancient history though. Fast forward to today. You don't have to ascend from royalty to utilize Aristotle's insight and helpful advice. I believe that the greatness that Aristotle aimed to withdraw from his pupils back then resides likewise in us all today. It just manifest itself in various ways. The way to access our true excellence is by exercising moral virtue as Aristotle so adamantly stresses throughout his teachings. There are so many different translations and versions of Aristotle's work being taught and read all across the world that it is impossible to deny the impact he has had on our society, even today. Aristotle was an excellent thinker and I believe we could all benefit from his insight in some way or another. Paul Mccartney wrote "Eleanor Rigby" for the Beatles, but Ray Charles got a hold of it an sang it as if he saw the entire story unfold with his own two eyes, and in that instance one group of great people from a totally different place, in a totally different part of the world were able to connect with another group of great people, essentially because of one party describing a scenario that the other could relate to somehow. This is what you call true genius! Besides the vices, the negative aspects of being a megastar, which I'm sure Aristotle would strongly advise against, I like to think that when a freakishly sublime, extraordinarily unseemly occurrence of greatness just mysteriously happens like this out of nowhere that Aristotle is sitting next to the king of kings smiling and saying, "see I told you". Aristotle saw the greatness in us all even way back then in his era, and I always appreciate when I come across something that I feel like was laid out for my benefit. Somewhere, in the roughest part of town, in what would be considered the slums by anybodies standards, there's a young person observing their surroundings, and where everyone else who is looking only sees dirt, that person sees diamonds. Where everyone else who looks only sees rubble, that person only sees a kingdom that has yet to be built. I recommend this book to that person. Aristotle is the man who can help you understand your brilliance and also cultivate the greatness that resides within you. Somewhere on the lower end of the totem pole, there's someone who where other people only notice the misfortune sees an opportunity to shine and a chance to overcome a challenge. Maybe someone who knows their value when others don't, and knows that they have what it takes to be great and is working to move up in the company structure or something to that effect, this book will definitely help you access the greatness that resides in you. Besides that I recommend this book to anyone who seeks a better understanding in regards to the nature of things and how the world works, this book would definitely benefit you.

I began writing a book a few years ago about whether animals have ethics and morals. I turned to Aristotle's Nichomachean Ethics by a different translator and stalled out in my research. Finally, I came across the Penguin version translation of his very complicated (and largely Greek laden) ideas. Now I can continue and include his ideas. I'm so happy!

Exactly what u would get from Barnes and Noble

There are a couple of features about this particular edition of Aristotle's "Ethics" (to be clear, I am referring to the 2004 edition published by Penguin Classics) that I think are praiseworthy and worthy of mention. As some of the other reviewers of this edition have pointed out, the introduction by Jonathan Barnes is most helpful in providing the reader with a sturdy foundation on which to stand while reading this work. At roughly 30 pages long, Barnes' introduction is the perfect length. It provides a great foundation without becoming a full exposition itself. Another thing I like about this book is the editing, which utilizes a number of helpful tools to enhance readability. In particular, the editor (Hugh Tredennick) uses plenty of footnotes and inserts into the text itself (demarcated by angled brackets). In a couple of instances Tredennick even changes the order in which the text has traditionally been found; this he does because the logic of Aristotle's argument flows better if slightly re-ordered. In sum, then, the Penguin Classics edition of Aristotle's "Ethics" is very approachable and I highly recommend it for those who are just getting introduced to Aristotle's works. Aside from reviewing the specific edition here, I would also like to make a couple of critical remarks about the text itself. This is a difficult thing to do with classics such as this because the historical influence and importance of the text renders such remarks not a little superfluous. Nevertheless, a few limited thoughts might be in order. First, one other reviewer has commented on the relation of the "Ethics" to Christianity. I, too, am a Christian, and I think it is important to offer reviews explicitly informed by my faith. Nevertheless, I think the other Christian reviewer is slightly mistaken. To be sure, he is right when he says that Aristotle, though not a Christian, got a lot right and some things wrong. For we should not expect anyone, established historical icon or no, to be right all the time (except Scripture, of course). However, the one thing I think the other reviewer is mistaken about is that, although Aristotle suggests that the purpose of life is happiness, I don't think this is per se contrary to Christian teaching. The other reviewer is right to say that the purpose of life, from a Christian point of view, is to glorify God. However, is Aristotle's notion of happiness contrary to this purpose? I think that it is not, or at least that it is not clearly contrary to it. Happiness for Aristotle is found in it purest human form in those whose life is characterized by contemplation. This is so because contemplation, among all human activities, is the activity that most approximates the divine. Further, it is contemplation in accordance with virtue that makes a man happy. And further yet, contemplation, according to Aristotle, should lead us to act; that is to live a virtuous life. Thus, I think Aristotle's message is roughly translatable to the Christian message, which is something like: a man is most happy when his life is characterized by contemplation of the things of God, which leads to acting in accordance with God's commands (i.e., glorifying God). But enough about Aristotle in relation to Christianity... I would like to end this review with two recommendations. First, if you're looking for secondary reading that will illuminate Aristotle's "Ethics", I would recommend The Blackwell Guide to Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics (Blackwell Guides to Great Works) , edited by Richard Kraut. That book is a collection of essays exclusively concerning Aristotle's "Ethics", and is very useful for deeper understanding. Second, a lighter and yet broader (topically) read: On the Unseriousness of Human Affairs: Teaching, Writing, Playing, Believing, Lecturing, Philosophizing, Singing, Dancing by James Schall. If you read Schall's book before the "Ethics", I think your motivation to read the "Ethics" will be enhanced. If you read Schall's book after you read the "Ethics", I think you will better see how Aristotle's work has influenced other important writers throughout the ages. In any event, happy reading!

I like this version of the Ethics very much. The writing is clear, the chapters are subcategorized with lovely italic headlines that tell you where you're going in that particular chunk of text, and the type is readable. The footnotes are included on each page, rather than all at the end (a very considerate service to the reader; I wish every publisher would please do that). All in all, I'm very happy I chose this translation. I really can't complain, but I wish all publishers would make the margins from the edge of the page to the text a bit wider for annotating. This would be true for any academic text but especially a philosophical one.

While it's a bit difficult to read - long, complex sentences - it is more than worth the time taken to let this classic sink in and take root. Logic and Rhetoric at its finest.

I agree with Mortimer Adler that this book should be read every year. The narration is well paced and engaging.

Not very interesting to read This translation

La calidad de los materiales no es la óptima pero si lo que buscas es tener la obra en físico por buen precio razonable es un opción ideal

Excellent product. Now I just need to get around to reading it, absorbing its teachings, and perhaps even, at some indeterminate point in the future, actually putting them into practice.

The book came damaged

For many people out there who know about Aristotles due to their studies, field of work or general culture, then this book is what they probably already know it is going to be. However, I am an engineer and I only studied a bit about Aristotles in university when we studied logic, but without going into any further detail about his life or other teachings. That is why, other than knowing that he is one of the greatest Greek Philosophers I didn't know anything else. A friend recommended this book and I was reluctant to read it because I thought it was going to be too heavy for me, given that english is not even my first language and all that. But I bought it and started reading it anyways, and boy am I happy that I did it! Obviously this man was incredibly intelligent and thought about many things that we still struggle with in our current days. This specific book includes his account on ethics and how this term involves so much more than what most of us know, and how all human beings are goal driven, pursuing something that is not yet to be but it can be obtained with the cultivation of intellect and character. I am sure there are thousands of people out there who know more about this subject than I do, however for what is worth, I liked it very much and I wish you enjoy this book.