Politics of Aristotle - by Peter L Phillips Simpson (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

A touchstone in Western debates about society and government, the Politics is Aristotle's classic work on the nature of political community. Here, he argues that people band together into political communities to secure a good and self-sufficient life. He discusses the merits and defects of various regimes or ways of organizing political community--democracy in particular--and in the process examines such subjects as slavery, economics, the family, citizenship, justice, and revolution.Peter Simpson offers a new translation of Aristotle's text from the ancient Greek. He renders the Politics into an English version that is accurate, readable, and in certain difficult passages, original. His innovative analytical division of the whole text, with headings and accompanying summaries, makes clear the progression and unity of the argument--a helpful feature for students or readers unfamiliar with Aristotle's studied brevity and often elliptical style. Books 7 and 8 are repositioned--a move supported by Aristotle's own words and much scholarly opinion--to restore the work's logical organization and coherence. Finally, Simpson places the Politics in its proper philosophical context by beginning the text with the last chapter of Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics, which he sees as an introduction to what follows.

Review Quotes

[A]t the same time the most accessible and the most accurate translation of this difficult and vitally important book.

Paul A. Rahe, Yale University

ÝA¨t the same time the most accessible and the most accurate translation of this difficult and vitally important book.

Paul A. Rahe, Yale University

Peter Simpson's translation is of high quality: it is precise and follows the Greek without sacrificing readability.

Fred D. Miller Jr., Bowling Green State University

Peter Simpson's translation of Aristotle's "Politics" is not only an outstanding literal translation, but it is a godsend for teaching.

"Philosophy in Review"

"[A]t the same time the most accessible and the most accurate translation of this difficult and vitally important book.

Paul A. Rahe, Yale University"

"Peter Simpson's translation is of high quality: it is precise and follows the Greek without sacrificing readability.

Fred D. Miller Jr., Bowling Green State University"

"Peter Simpson's translation of Aristotle's "Politics" is not only an outstanding literal translation, but it is a godsend for teaching.

"Philosophy in Review""

About the Author

Peter L. Phillips Simpson is professor of philosophy and classics at the Graduate Center and the College of Staten Island, City University of New York.