Aristotle

Project GutenbergProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.3

Word count: 209K words
Chapters: 21

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971, and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today. Aristotle by A. E. Taylor. Author: , Language: English, Class: B: Philosophy, Psychology, Religion, Release Date: Jan 16, 2015

Editor's review

Aristotle is an introductory work on philosophy by A. E. Taylor, classified under philosophy and released free of charge by Project Gutenberg. Taylor was a British philosopher; in this concise book he lays out Aristotle's philosophical system, organizing the discussion around core topics such as metaphysics, logic, ethics, and political thought, with emphasis on explaining concepts and the lines of inquiry rather than piling up terminology. For readers encountering Aristotle for the first time, it offers a relatively clear entry point: one can first grasp the basic framework of the four causes, substance, and teleology, then return to the original works with better direction. The text is in English and argumentatively dense, requiring some patience, but its length is manageable, making it suitable as supplementary reading for a history of Western philosophy or as a discussion text for a reading group. It is best read slowly, with notes on concepts taken as one goes.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Philosophy beginners encountering Aristotle for the first time who need a systematic introduction
Students taking a history of Western philosophy course who want perspectives beyond Chinese-language textbooks
Members of a philosophy reading group looking for a short introductory text to study together
Self-learners with good English reading ability willing to read an English-language philosophy introduction

Not a good fit for

Readers with no philosophical background who prefer pure narrative and dislike abstract concepts
Specialist researchers expecting a translation of the original or line-by-line annotated close-reading material
Beginners who find English reading difficult and need bilingual support

Reading tips

Read the table of contents and introduction first, sketch a conceptual map of the book, then proceed chapter by chapter.
After each chapter, summarize the core argument in a few sentences so that reading does not go unprocessed.
When encountering terms such as the four causes, substance, and teleology, make a one-page concept card for them.
After finishing, pick one topic and reread the relevant chapters to test whether you have truly understood it.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Can readers with no philosophy background understand this book?

It can serve as a first attempt, but it requires slow reading and note-taking. The book focuses on explaining concepts and lines of inquiry, and its terminology is less dense than the original works, yet the abstract argument still demands patient sorting-out; if the subject is entirely new, it is best read alongside a general history of philosophy.

Is this book Aristotle's original work?

No. It is an introductory work by A. E. Taylor that summarizes and explains Aristotle's system of thought, and it is a secondary study. Readers who want the original texts should look for translations of Aristotle's works.

How difficult is the English edition to read?

It is argumentative English, with sentence structures more complex than narrative texts and many abstract nouns, placing some demands on vocabulary and logical stamina. Readers with good English reading ability can finish it on their own; otherwise, it is advisable to first read a Chinese-language introduction as a foundation.

Is it suitable as reading-group material?

Yes. The book is not long, and the chapters can be read in several sessions, each with a core topic for discussion. It is best to focus each session on one concept—say, the four causes first, then ethics and politics—so that members have ample opportunity to speak.

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