The Blackwell Guide to Aristotles Nicomachean Ethics

The Blackwell Guide to Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics consists of sixteen newly commissioned essays on one of the most widely studied texts in the history of ethics. The volume is faithful to the organization of the Nicomachean Ethics itself, discussing the human good, the general nature of virtue, the distinctive characteristics of particular virtues, voluntariness, self–control, and pleasure. The Guide, with specially commissioned essays contributed by a distinguished international cast of scholars and an introduction by Richard Kraut, illuminates Aristotle’s ethics for both scholars and students new to the work.

Notes on Contributors. Acknowledgment. Abbreviations. Introduction (Richard Kraut). 1. Aristotle’s Ethical Treatises (Chris Bobonich). 2. Human Good and Human Function (Gavin Lawrence). 3. How to Justify Ethical Propositions: Aristotle’s Method (Richard Kraut). 4. The Central Doctrine of the Mean (Rosalind Hursthouse). 5. Aristotle on Moral Virtue and the Fine (Gabriel Richardson Lear). 6. Aristotle on the Voluntary (Susan Sauve Meyer). 7. Aristotle on Greatness of Soul (Roger Crisp). 8. Aristotle’s Justice (Charles Young). 9. Aristotle on the Virtues of Thought (C.D.C. Reeve). 10. The Practical Syllogism (Paula Gottlieb). 11. Acrasia and Self–Control (A.W. Price). 12. Pleasure and Pain in Aristotle’s Ethics (Dorothea Frede). 13. The Nicomachean Account of Philia (Jennifer Whiting). 14. Aristotle’s Political Ethics (Malcolm Schofield). 15. Aquinas, Natural Law, and Aristotelian Eudaemonism (T. H. Irwin). 16. Aristotle and Contemporary Ethics (Sarah Broadie). Index of Passages from Aristotle. General Index.

Richard Kraut is Professor of Philosophy and Classics, and the Charles E. and Emma H. Morrison Professor in the Humanities, at Northwestern University. He is the author of Socrates and the State (1984), Aristotle on the Human Good (1989), and Aristotle: Political Philosophy (2002).

“Searching for light on Aristotle’s ethics? Look no further than this fine collection of new essays on the major topics of the Nicomachean Ethics from leading scholars of five countries.” David Keyt, University of Washington “This is a stimulating and wide–ranging collection of lucid and rigorous essays by some of the world’s finest Aristotelian scholars. It offers fresh insights into Aristotle’s arguments, methodology, influence, and contemporary relevance and will appeal both to first–time readers and those returning to the work.” Angela Hobbs, University of Warwick “A welcome addition for anyone interested in Aristotle’s ethics. Its authors form an impressive list of scholars, and it covers a wide range of topics relevant to Aristotle′s ethics. Worth owning.” Norman Dahl, University of Minnesota