Politics: A Treatise on Government
This anthology is a thorough introduction to classic literature for those who have not yet experienced these literary masterworks. For those who have known and loved these works in the past, this is an invitation to reunite with old friends in a fresh new format. From Shakespeare s finesse to Oscar Wilde s wit, this unique collection brings together works as diverse and influential as The Pilgrim s Progress and Othello. As an anthology that invites readers to immerse themselves in the masterpiec
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The Politics
This new translation of one of the fundamental texts of Western political thought combines strict fidelity to Aristotle’s Greek with a contemporary English prose style. Lord’s intention throughout is to retain Aristotle’s distinctive style.
The accompanying notes provide literary and historical references, call attention to textual problems, and supply other essential information and interpretation. A glossary supplies working definitions of key terms in Aristotle’s philosophical-politica
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outstanding,
I found that Aristotle provided many brilliant insights into the political thinking, strategy, of leaders and the military. In many ways, it remains unsurpassed and it ought to be required reading in undergraduate classes on political strategy. On the downside, Aristotle referred to leaders of each city-state over decades, if not centuries, and, this made it difficult for at least this reader to fully appreciate the relevance and examples offered in this text. Brilliant and merits an A+.
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|Decent Kindle Freebie,
This Kindle edition is a no-frill version of the book, but is acceptable. It is the translation by William Ellis that was originally published in 1912. There is no table of contents or footnotes in this book, but there is an index that is not hyper-linked. With the format and content of this book, I saw no need for these features, especially since one could easily do a search for the desired locations for references.
The work itself is very interesting. I had read Aristotle’s Ethics not too long ago and recognized his distinctive style of categorizing things in very logical ways. I would recommend reading Plato’s works on politics prior to reading this book since the author spends a lot of time critiquing his works. He also refers to a lot of historical figures, so a good background in Greek history may be useful, though not necessary.
I found his descriptions of governments to fit well with small city-states as were common in ancient Greece. He did not go into a lot of detail on how to adapt these governments to the scale we are used to today.
Overall, this book is a good read for anyone interested in politics. Several principles he covers are valid today and one can learn much from his thoughts. One must read it with the understanding that he lived in a totally different world where slavery was acceptable and universal suffrage was considered dangerous. Therefore his definition of a democracy varies quite a bit from the modern definition. I’m also surprised by how much he feels government should get involved in peoples lives, including what and how to teach children and determine for them which career they should be in. Shades of Plato, though not as extreme.
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|Fresh a must read.,
As an engineer I missed the classics in undergrad and I’m going back to get them piecemeal. This is amazing. Aristotle reads like today’s headlines. With a little bit of reasoning by analogy you can see that in its essence the economy hasn’t changed in 2000 years.
I am attracted to folks who can explain complex ideas simply and Aristotle seems able to do that. Some of the stuff is outdated (for example his opinion on marriage) but helps explain other literature.
His take on government is fascinating. In his opinion there are only three forms of government divided into two classes. The two classes are more important than the three forms in that the classes determine who benefits from the rule. You’ll have to read the book to find out the rest.
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|Aristotle’s Politics,
Good print, good translation, and good reading as always. He controversially says that slavery is “natural”, and also that the city is “natural” to man, versus imposed on him or constructed out of nothing. He critiques and corrects Plato’s Republic. Clear, organized, empirical, and aware of human nature. Thanks Aristotle.
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|good one,
As an indonesian, it’s a very rare book to find. A book filled with many contradictions in politics. Opens up minds about being a poitical subject, as matter in a small but important part of a country.
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|Great for class!,
The text isn’t too hard to get through (using it for a college political philosophy class). Who shouldn’t read one of the greats? The translation is solid and it’s an engaging read.
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