“We must not expect of Aristotle such literary brilliance as floods the pages of the dramatist-philosopher Plato. Instead of giving us great literature, in which philosophy is embodied (and obscured) in myth and imagery, Aristotle gives us science, technical, abstract, concentrated; if we go to him for entertainment we shall sue for the return of our money.”
– Will Durant’s “The Story of Philosophy: The Lives and Opinions of the Greater Philosophers” (1926), Chapter 2, Section 2
Aristotle is one of the most influential philosophers in all of world history. More than 2,000 years after his death, his name is still known, and his works are still studied. I knew his name early in my childhood, but did not examine his ideas until early college. My first philosophy class introduced me to Aristotle, and made me want to learn a bit more about him. As it turned out, my dad already had this audiobook about him by this time. Thus, the two of us listened to it on a moderately long road trip. My dad had already listened to it, but I had not – although I had listened to a similar audiobook about Plato by the same company (Knowledge Products). I greatly enjoyed this audiobook (my second from this series), and it helps that Charlton Heston is narrating it. Nonetheless, this audiobook makes one’s brain hurt after a while.
Ironically, Aristotle was praised in antiquity for his “wit” and “liveliness” (or words to that effect). Almost no modern reader would be tempted to use such descriptions. Why the great disparity between these ancient and modern views of Aristotle? Part of it may be that the ancients were reading a different version of Aristotle than we are, which was in a format more like that of Plato’s dialogues. These dialogues may have been as “witty” and “lively” as the ancients claimed. But if Aristotle wrote any such dialogues, none of them are known to have survived today. As with most ancient writers, it is believed that the vast majority of Aristotle’s works are lost. What survives are more like the lecture notes for Aristotle’s classes at the “Lyceum.” Although they may have been written by Aristotle, they may have instead been transcribed by someone else – perhaps by one of his students. If so, this is the version of Aristotle that we know today – the one of the densely written lecture notes.
School of Aristotle
Aristotle’s surviving writings are notorious for being difficult to understand. This caused the historian Will Durant to say (only half-jokingly) that if we go to Aristotle for entertainment, “we shall sue for the return of our money.” After listening to this audiobook, the reader may be tempted to agree with Mr. Durant. Certainly they will get a glimpse into Aristotle’s notoriously dense writing style, at least with regard to these surviving writings. But they may also get a glimpse of his brilliance, and the originality of much of his philosophy.
Aristotle tutoring the future Alexander the Great
Aristotle would today be considered an “empiricist,” because he believed in the value of empirical data. But ironically, he also advanced our understanding of logic. For example, he was a pioneer in the use (or at least the analysis) of the syllogism, a form of logic that is still used today. The combination of these things made him a towering figure in the history of science. Obviously, some of his conclusions were wrong, and have since been corrected by modern scientists. But Aristotle provided a framework for both his claims and others’ claims to be tested. Thus, his methods are still used today. Although some today have dismissed Aristotelian science, they reap the benefits of his contributions in this area, and those of many of his modern disciples.
Aristotle
They also spend some time on his views of ethics and politics. These, too, had a massive influence upon much of the philosophy that followed. Ironically, these views were more in line with the ideas of Socrates than with the ideas of Aristotle’s teacher Plato. Nonetheless, Plato did have a great influence upon Aristotle. Even when Aristotle disagreed with Plato, he was more influenced by Plato’s reasoning than he knew, since Plato had provided a framework in which to approach these things.
Aristotle
I could go on, and talk about many of the remarkable ideas that Aristotle pioneered. But suffice it to say that this is an excellent introduction to Aristotle’s work, even if it will sometimes be almost as difficult to understand as the source material itself. Such difficulties are inevitable and unavoidable, but not insurmountable. I believe that this audiobook surmounts them admirably. This audiobook helps to place Aristotle’s works into the context of the times, and shows the breadth and depth of his incredible legacy. And it is enjoyable despite these difficulties – even if, as mentioned earlier, it may make your brain hurt after a while.
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Part of an audiobook series
The Giants of Philosophy
Aristotle
Others to be covered later
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