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Summary: The Complete Works of Aristotle: Volume 1
Review: The Complete Works of Aristotle: Volume 1 edited by Jonathan Barnes is the revised Oxford translation. These works are readable and comprehensive.Aristotle is a difficult and challenging thinker... one of the greatest thinkers. The first volume deals with the following: Categories, De Interpretatione, Prior Analytics, Posterior Analytics, Topics, Sophistical Refutations, Physics, On the Heavens, On Generation and Corruption, Meteorology, On the Universe, On the Soul, Sense and Sensibilia, On Memory, On Sleep, On Dreams, On Divination in Sleep, On Length and Shortness of Life, On Youth,Old Age,Life and Death,and Respiration, Oh Breath, History of Animals, Parts of Animals, Movement of Animals, Progression of Animals, Generation of Animals, On Colours, On Things Heard, Physiognomonics. This volume contains authenticity that is been serously doubted and also works that are spurious and has never been seriously contested. So, if it looks like Aristotle, then it's here. There are numerals printed in the outer margins which key the translation to Immanuel Bekker's standard edition of the Greek text. All in all, this is an excellent translation and can be easily referred to by English speakers. I enjoyed the translations, even the footnotes when the translations deviated from the preferred... such places are rare though. This along with volume 2 are excellent additions to your library.
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Summary: for the student of logic and biology
Review: The first volume of Aristotle's complete works will give any Analytical Philosopher a fine felicity. However, if, like myself, you find logic to be a tedious and removed (although worthwhile) activity, you will find the first 314 pages to be, well, an antidote to insomnia (However to note, the medievals considered these logical works to be some of the finest of Aristotle's. There are also some good sayings, such as '...if you can find noone else to argue with, then argue with yourself' in these works). Then, you will reach the Physics, a must read (along with Augustines Confessions (Book 11 in that work I believe) and Immanuel Kant's Critique of Pure Reason) of any student who considers the contemplation of time a worthwhile activity (in my own philosophy, I consider the contemplation of time to be that which is most important in Philosophy, mainly because it allows us to realize that 'given enough time everything becomes insignificant' and therefore, what has significance, the 'given' or now, is what should be given priority, rather than the secondary relations to social and bodily pleasures which for the most part, dominate our lives, and make the enjoyment of the given, life itself, forgotten). After the Physics, there are 13 smaller works that deal with topics such as the heavens, memory, dreams and youth and old age. These begin to become a precursor for Aristotle's zoological works 'History of Animals', 'Parts of Animals', 'Movement of Animals', 'Progression of Animals' and 'Generation of Animals'. These works are interesting mainly from a historical perspective (hearing Aristotle talk about the flatulence of elephants is intriguing to say the least). Then, you will come to works which many believe to be authentically Aristotle's, 'On Colours', 'On Things Heard' and 'Physiognomics'. With that ends volume one of Aristotle's Complete Works. For the reader who is not disciplined in Philosophy, I would not recommend diving into Aristotle without first finding some gear (i.e., previous philosophical experience) otherwise you will find these Aristotlean waters to be cold and uninviting. You may want to pick up an introductory title to Philosophy, such as The Story of Philosophy, then read Plato's complete works, and then come to this book, and then volume 2 (which should be read by every man, woman and child on this earth.)
Also recommended: Toilet: The Novel by Michael Szymczyk. The Oxford Companion to Philosophy. The Collected Dialouges of Plato. Volume 2 of Aristotle's Complete Works.
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Summary: Reader's Guide
Review: This review is a sort of reader's guide to "The Complete Works". I've grouped Aristotle's works into logically related sets, provided a list of the works for each set (in the recommended reading order), and also indicated what sets are prior reading for which other sets. Note that I've restricted myself to those works of undoubted authenticity. To use this review, locate the set containing a work you are interested in, read the sets that are logically prior to it, and then the prior works in that set. Categories "Categories" - Is it about words, ideas, or metaphysics? The answer is: yes! This is the most foundational of Aristotle's works. For almost anything of Aristotle's you plan to read, you should read this first. Logic "De Interpretatione", "Prior Analytics", "Posterior Analytics", "Topics", "Sophistical Refutations" - "Categories"is a prerequisite. "De Interpretatione" is about statements (and negations), "Prior Analytics" is about deductions, "Posterior Analytics" is about demonstrations, and "Topics" is about dialectical deduction (and proper formation of definitions). "Sophistical Refutations" is really an appendix to "Topics" and deals with various logical fallacies. Mostly, they're not difficult reading, but "Prior Analytics" may have been the most numbing thing I've read in my whole life. The material about definitions in "Topics" has profound importance for Aristotle's metaphysics. General Science "Physics", "On the Heavens", "On Generation and Corruption", "Meteorology" - "Categories" is a prerequisite, and the Logic set is recommended prior reading. "Physics" concerns change - the words "motion", "movement", and so on are often used to indicate any kind of change, not just a change in location. "On the Heavens" concerns cosmology. "On Generation and Corruption" is broadly about chemistry. "Meteorology" is about atmospheric phenomena, but includes such things as comets and earthquakes. Aristotelian physics and cosmology, though pretty thoroughly wrong, have a coherence that goes far to account for their longevity. His equivalent to chemistry, on the other hand, is not only pretty thoroughly wrong, but wrong in ways that really, really make you wish that Aristotle had been willing to say "I don't know" a lot more often than he was. Biology "On the Soul", "Sense and Sensibilia", "On Memory", "On Sleep", "On Dreams", "On Divination in Sleep", "On Length and Shortness of Life", "On Youth, Old Age, Life and Death, and Respiration", "Movement of Animals" - "Categories" and the General Science set are prerequisites. "Soul" is a word with a great many associations with Christian belief that should be forgotten before reading this set of works; for Aristotle, in this context, "soul" in this context pretty much means the qualities of living things that differentiate them from non-living and he builds up from there. The titles of these are largely self-explanatory. The bad chemistry in "On Generation and Corruption" leads to even worse biology here. Zoology "History of Animals", "Parts of Animals", "Progression of Animals", "Generation of Animals" - "Categories", the General Science set, and the Biology set are prerequisites. Aristotle's writings on Zoology are a farrago of careful observation, folklore, and tall tales. Generally, when people want to make fun of Aristotle, they look in these works for quotes. I will resist the temptation to quote any of them here, and just point out that in Aristotle's time, the technical and social means for doing good work in this area just didn't exist. Metaphysics "Metaphysics" - "Categories", the Logic set, and the General Science set are prerequisites, with the Biology set recommended, but not necessary. Although "Metaphysics" is famously difficult, you may not find it too hard if you have read the recommended prior works (particularly the material on definitions in "Topics"), and don't get too obsessed about trying to understand his attempts at refuting the views of philosophers whose works we no longer possess. Also, be aware that there are some confusing uses of the word "soul" as well that pretty clearly have a much broader meaning than those in the set on Biology. Ethics "Eudemian Ethics", "Nicomachean Ethics" - No prerequisites. Both of these are lecture notes taken by students, whose names grace the titles of the works. The works are overlapping and don't have a real logical order. Of the two, Nicomachean Ethics is longer and covers more ground, and is therefore more commonly referenced than Eudemian Ethics, but the Eudemian Ethics flows better, and is the better one to read first. Some historical background reading about Greek society at this time is recommended. Perhaps surprisingly, after reading Aristotle's Ethics, his "Rhetoric" is highly recommended follow-up reading (the dark side of ethics, so to speak). Politics "Constitution of Athens", "Politics" - The Ethics set is a prerequisite. "Constitution of Athens" is a political history of Athens. "Politics" is political theory. Reading "Constitution of Athens" before "Politics" can help provide context for the latter work, although additional historical background reading about Greece in Aristotle's time is highly recommended. Rhetoric "Rhetoric" - "Categories", the Logic set, and the Ethics set are recommended prior reading. "Rhetoric" was a somewhat disreputable subject for Aristotle in that it aimed not at knowledge, but at persuasion, and by any means fair or foul. As part of this work, Aristotle expounds quite a bit on human nature, which makes this a fascinating follow-on to his works on Ethics. Aesthetics "Poetics" - No real prerequisites. This work, though short, has profoundly impacted aesthetic theory, particularly in the dramatic arts. Everyone should read this.
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