The Cambridge Companion to Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics

Description

Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics is the first and arguably most important treatise on ethics in Western philosophy. It remains to this day a compelling reflection on the best sort of human life and continues to inspire contemporary thought and debate. This Cambridge Companion includes twenty essays by leading scholars of Aristotle and ancient philosophy that cover the major issues of this text. The essays in this volume shed light on Aristotle's rigorous and challenging thinking on questions such as: can there be a practical science of ethics? What is happiness? Are we responsible for our character? How does moral virtue relate to good thinking? Can we act against our reasoned choice? What is friendship? Is the contemplative life the highest kind of life? Covering all sections of the Nicomachean Ethics and selected topics in Aristotle's Eudemian Ethics and Protrepticus, this volume offers the reader a solid foundation in Aristotle's ethical philosophy.

Ronald Polansky is Professor of Philosophy and Chair of the Department of Philosophy at Duquesne University. He has been editor of the journal Ancient Philosophy since its beginning in 1980. Polansky is the author of Aristotle's 'De anima': A Critical Commentary (Cambridge, 2007) and Philosophy and Knowledge: A Commentary on Plato's 'Theaetetus' (1992), and co-editor of Bioethics: Ancient Themes in Contemporary Issues (2002).

'A high-grade collection of new essays on Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics with several important contributions on central issues. This collection, with its helpful bibliography, deserves to be widely used in graduate seminars and undergraduate courses on the Ethics.' David Charles, University of Oxford 'Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics is one of the most influential works in the history of ethics, and thus an ideal candidate for a Cambridge Companion. Ronald Polansky has enlisted an outstanding cast of specialists to provide the reader with a truly comprehensive introduction to this great work, suitable for advanced students and scholars alike.' James G. Lennox, University of Pittsburgh 'The Companion has many strengths that recommend it. The range of topics is very complete ... The quality of writing throughout is very high, and each chapter provides a clear roadmap of the topic at hand. Students will learn not only the content of these central questions about Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics but also why they matter for the larger interpretation of Aristotle's ethical thinking and their broader philosophical importance.' Peter Aronoff, Bryn Mawr Classical Review