/lit/ - Literature

I fucking hate Aristotle

Should I read the Eudemian or Nichomachean Ethics, /lit/?

I read Aristotles ethics and I still don't have a clue where to begin and how to be a good person.
Should I help an old lady cross the street? What should I do?
Let's say you're a shut-in introvert that rarely goes outside.

>>17859026
refuted 2000 years before

being realistic, did he routinely beat his wife?

A few months ago I posted a thread asking about translations of and prerequisites for Aristotle’s Metaphysics. An anon in the thread recommended me a book called The Mind of Aristotle that chronicled the development of Aristotle’s thought over the course of his works. I read it this past week and overall enjoyed it. It was a bit dense in parts (especially since I haven’t read the works discussed yet, though I’m about to), and I skimmed a lot of the biological sections, but there was some really good stuff in there, especially about how Aristotle’s views transitioned from a sort of anti-Platonism to the moderate realism that he passed on to the Medieval Scholastics. So thanks for the rec, anon.

what a mogger

>Of Justice, four books. On Poets, three books. On Philosophy, three books. Of the Statesman, two books. On Rhetoric, or Grylus, one book. Nerinthus, one book. The Sophist, one book. Menexenus, one book. Concerning Love, one book. Symposium, one book. Of Wealth, one book. Exhortation to Philosophy, one book. Of the Soul, one book. Of Prayer, one book. On Noble Birth, one book. On Pleasure, one book. Alexander, or a Plea for Colonies, one book. On Kingship, one book. On Education, one book. Of the Good, three books. Extracts from Plato's Laws, three books. Extracts from the Republic, two books. Of Household Management, one book. Of Friendship, one book. On being or having been affected, one book. Of Sciences, one book. On Controversial Questions, two books. Solutions of Controversial Questions, four books. Sophistical Divisions, four books. On Contraries, one book. On Genera and Species, one book. On Essential Attributes, one book. Three note - books on Arguments for Purposes of Refutation. Propositions concerning Virtue, two books. Objections, one book. On the Various Meanings of Terms or Expressions where a Determinant is added, one book. Of Passions or of Anger, one book. Five books of Ethics. On Elements, three books. Of Science, one book. Of Logical Principle, one book. Logical Divisions, seventeen books. Concerning Division, one book. On Dialectical Questioning and Answering, two books. Of Motion, one book. Propositions, one book. Controversial Propositions, one book. Syllogisms, one book. Eight books of Prior Analytics. Two books of Greater Posterior Analytics. Of Problems, one book. Eight books of Methodics. Of the Greater Good, one book. On the Idea, one book. Definitions prefixed to the Topics, seven books. Two books of Syllogisms. Concerning Syllogism with Definitions, one book. Of the Desirable and the Contingent, one book. Preface to Commonplaces, one book. Two books of Topics criticizing the Definitions. Affections or Qualities, one book. Concerning Logical Division, one book. Concerning Mathematics, one book. Definitions, thirteen books. Two books of Refutations. Of Pleasure, one book. Propositions, one book. On the Voluntary, one book. On the Beautiful, one book.

Only recently started reading again, I've read about 15 books recently, lately I picked up the nicomachean ethics by Aristotle but find that even though I understand each individual word I lose focus or simply lose track of the idea, I also just stare at words every couple pages. How do I improve my focus? Is this because I hadn't read in a long time?

how would aristotle's lost works have changed philosophy if they had never been lost?
>Of Justice, four books. On Poets, three books. On Philosophy, three books. Of the Statesman, two books. On Rhetoric, or Grylus, one book. Nerinthus, one book. The Sophist, one book. Menexenus, one book. Concerning Love, one book. Symposium, one book. Of Wealth, one book. Exhortation to Philosophy, one book. Of the Soul, one book. Of Prayer, one book. On Noble Birth, one book. On Pleasure, one book. Alexander, or a Plea for Colonies, one book. On Kingship, one book. On Education, one book. Of the Good, three books. Extracts from Plato's Laws, three books. Extracts from the Republic, two books. Of Household Management, one book. Of Friendship, one book. On being or having been affected, one book. Of Sciences, one book. On Controversial Questions, two books. Solutions of Controversial Questions, four books. Sophistical Divisions, four books. On Contraries, one book. On Genera and Species, one book. On Essential Attributes, one book. Three note - books on Arguments for Purposes of Refutation. Propositions concerning Virtue, two books. Objections, one book. On the Various Meanings of Terms or Expressions where a Determinant is added, one book. Of Passions or of Anger, one book. Five books of Ethics. On Elements, three books. Of Science, one book. Of Logical Principle, one book. Logical Divisions, seventeen books. Concerning Division, one book. On Dialectical Questioning and Answering, two books. Of Motion, one book. Propositions, one book. Controversial Propositions, one book. Syllogisms, one book. Eight books of Prior Analytics. Two books of Greater Posterior Analytics. Of Problems, one book. Eight books of Methodics. Of the Greater Good, one book. On the Idea, one book. Definitions prefixed to the Topics, seven books. Two books of Syllogisms. Concerning Syllogism with Definitions, one book. Of the Desirable and the Contingent, one book. Preface to Commonplaces, one book. Two books of Topics criticizing the Definitions. Affections or Qualities, one book. Concerning Logical Division, one book. Concerning Mathematics, one book. Definitions, thirteen books. Two books of Refutations. Of Pleasure, one book. Propositions, one book. On the Voluntary, one book. On the Beautiful, one book.

What do you think is(are) the most important virtue(s) and why?

What makes someone know something, and KNOW something. As in, having the information of its truth and having a full on belief and conviction that it is the truth

What causes this shift? Cause it sometimes just feels like it happens randomly during moments of "eureka"

So I´m currently reading the poetics and I´m absolutely loving it, and was wondering if anyone here has an aesthetic philosophy chart or could recommend some philosophers that dive deep into art and aesthetics

How do I conduct my own philosophical investigations like pic related without getting trapped in language games? After reading all of the organon/ethics and rethoric I got pretty inspired to follow his model of investigation but he never goes to much in depth about language masturbation

Any secondary literature or study guide for the Organon? I´m getting filtered

“Friendship being divided into these kinds, bad men will be friends for the sake of pleasure or of utility, being in this respect like each other, but good men will be friends for their own sake, i.e. in virtue of their goodness.”

The dichotomy presented in this quote raises a few questions for me. Firstly, it seems to be a departure form the statement made a few line earlier “For the sake of pleasure or utility, then, even bad men may be friends of each other, or good men of bad” which clearly outlines that even “good” people will approach friendships through a utilitarian or self serving lense. It also suggests the idea of friendship between two “good” individuals being predicated on the “virtue of their goodness.” is somewhat false. If they were truly virtuous then they would not endover to have such friendships. This might be what Aristotle suggests or is the context in which these friendships are meant to be viewed but that is not made clear at least in this text. It also provokes me to question the idea of a dichotomy as being able to capture the full spectrum of relations between individuals. I personally view friendship as nebulous, yes there are rules that bind it but they too are flexible and morph often to fit different realities. I believe that at times the ideas presented by Aristotle are true and others false, it is dependent on the constitution of the friendship and the context of the individual. I think that true friendship, the eternal connection you hold with someone is constructed in the foundation of that person's character, not necessarily their goodness but their inherent individuality, however that may be expressed.

Thoughts? Am I wrong or did I miss anything?

Aristotle’s Metaphysics has a reputation for being very difficult. But if I’m relatively familiar with Scholastic ideas, would I be able to read it without too much trouble? I’ve read some of the basic stuff by Feser, but also some more in-depth works by Etienne Gilson, Joseph Owens, and Garrigou-Lagrange. Is that enough or would I need more background to appreciate Aristotle? And would it be worth doing to begin with?

Side question, what’s the best translation? The Reeves edition for Hackett seems to be the general consensus.

Those of you who have read the Nichomachean Ethics, was it worth it? Is it a good book? Should I read anything before reading this to help me understand it?

where can I find an epub version of the Organon? It isn't on libgen

How does it feel to know philosophy peaked with him?

Any good secondary literature or study guides for Aristotles Rhetoric? The original is all over the place and very confusing

The most boring, yet the best philosopher

Every book I read from him enriches me more than any other philosopher. What's your favourite work by our boy?

>>17202861
Yes. He's been fucking right for 2400 years and no shitposting retard is going to change that.

>>17200970
Ehem...