A comprehensive introduction to the life and work of Aristotle.

Aristotle belongs to the small class of philosophers who were not only influential in a particular field of philosophy but also shaped the profile of every philosophical discipline. In this book Otfried Höffe provides a comprehensive introduction to the life and work of Aristotle, covering well-known Aristotelian topics such as ethics, politics, and metaphysics as well as the less familiar, such as biology, psychology, and rhetoric. Höffe also compares Aristotle to other major figures in the history of European (especially German) philosophy, making connections to Kant and Hegel that are particularly insightful. A picture of Aristotle emerges as a philosopher who is much more modern than previously thought, one whose writings are still relevant today and continue to make valuable contributions to many contemporary philosophical debates.

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List of Illustrations


List of Abbreviations and Method of Citation


Preface


PART I: "THE PHILOSOPHER"?


1. The Man and His Work


1.1 The Man
1.2 The Work


2. Researcher, Scholar, and Philosopher


PART II: KNOWLEDGE AND SCIENCE


3. The Phenomenology of Knowledge


3.1 Propaedeutic?
3.2 An Epistemic Hierarchy
3.3 Freedom and Self-realization


4. Forms of Rationality


4.1 Syllogistics
4.2 Dialectic (Topics)
4.3 Rhetoric
4.4 Poetics: Tragedy


5. Proofs and Principles


5.1 A Critique of Demonstrative Reason
5.2 Axioms and Other Principles
5.3 Induction and Mind


6. Four Methodical Maxims


6.1 Establishing the Phenomena
6.2 Doctrines
6.3 Difficulties
6.4 Linguistic Analysis


PART III: PHYSICS AND METAPHYSICS


7. Natural Philosophy


7.1 Aristotelian Natural Science
7.2 Motion
7.3 The Four Causes
7.4 Continuum, the Infinite, Place, and Time


8. Biology and Psychology


8.1 Aristotle the Zoologist
8.2 Teleonomy: Organisms, Procreation, and Heredity
8.3 The Soul


9. First Philosophy, or Metaphysics


10. Cosmology and Theology


10.1 Meta-physics
10.2 The Cosmological Concept of God
10.3 An Ethical Concept of God?


11. Ontology and Language


11.1 Categories
11.2 Substance
11.3 Aristotle’s Critique of Plato's Ideas
11.4 On Language


PART IV: ETHICS AND POLITICS


12. Practical Philosophy


12.1 The Autonomy of Ethics
12.2 The Goal Is Action
12.3 Outline Knowledge


13. Theory of Action


13.1 The Basic Concept of Desire
13.2 Decision and Power of Judgment
13.3 Weakness of the Will
13.4 Does Aristotle Know the Concept of Will?


14. The Good Life


14.1 The Principle of Happiness
14.2 The Virtues of Character
14.3 Justice, Natural Law, and Equity
14.4 Theoretical or Political Existence?

15. Political Anthropology


15.1 The Relevance of the Politics
15.2 "Political by Nature"
15.3 Friendship and Other Prerequisites


16. Political Justice


16.1 Elementary Inequalities
16.2 Rule of the Free over the Free
16.3 Democracy or Polity?


PART V: The RECEPTION


17. Antiquity and the Middle Ages


17.1 Antiquity
17.2 Christianity, Islam, and Judaism
17.3 The Great Aristotelian Renaissance


18. The Modern Age and the Present


18.1 Detachment and Renewed Interest
18.2 Aristotle Research and Neo-Aristotelianisms


Chronology


Bibliography


Index of Personal Names


General Index
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<p><b>A comprehensive introduction to the life and work of Aristotle.</b></p>

Produktdetaljer

ISBN
9780791456347
Publisert
2003-03-19
Utgiver
Vendor
State University of New York Press
Vekt
345 gr
Aldersnivå
G, 01
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Heftet
Antall sider
252

Forfatter
Oversetter

Biographical note

Otfried Höffe is Professor and Chair of Philosophy at the University of Tübingen and the author of many books, including Immanuel Kant, also published by SUNY Press.