Nicomachean Ethics [Paperback]

Aristotle (Author), Terence Irwin (Translator, Introduction)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0872204642 | ISBN-13: 978-0872204645 | Publication Date: 1999 | Edition: 2nd

Building on the strengths of the first edition, the second edition of the Irwin Nicomachean Ethics features a revised translation (without extensive editorial intervention), expanded notes (including a summary of the argument of each chapter), an expanded Introduction, and a revised glossary.

Terence Irwin is Susan Linn Sage Professor of Philosophy, Cornell University.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Very useful as a cornerstone for our discussion of ethics and the Western moral tradition. The translation is elegant."--Dominic A. Aquila, Rochester Institute of Technology
"A fine translation of an essential classic in the field of ethics."--Claudia Card, University of Wisconsin
"The index is extremely helpful. The 'contents' are also a helpful tool. The numbering and division titles also make this book a little easier to teach."--Rose Marie Surwilo, College of St. Francis
"Very useful text of Aristotle: the translation presents no pitfalls to a beginning student; the editor's organization is useful but unitrusive; and finally, the cost is perfect."--Nickolas O. Papas, Hollins College
"An excellent translation and edition."--Winfield J.C. Myers, University of Georgia
"Most lucid and accessible edition popularly available." --John L. Hemingway, Washington State University

About the Author

Aristotle; Translated by Terence Irwin

Product Details

• Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Hackett Publishing Co.; 2nd edition (1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0872204642
• ISBN-13: 978-0872204645
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #870 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #26 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Philosophy

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Irwin's Translation is Indispensable... but some cautions, October 22, 2006

By 

T. W. (Northeastern United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nicomachean Ethics (Paperback)

I would not hesitate to recommend Irwin's Hackett edition to anyone who wants to undertake the real work of understanding Aristotle's "Nicomachean Ethics."

The translation & the interpretation underlying it are not perfect. Other translations may in some (even many) cases be based on interpretations I would prefer. So why is Irwin better? Because his is the only version that lets the reader see the nuts and bolts--that is, just how trickily ambiguous Aristotle's text so often is, and just what the translator has done to interpret it and make sense of it. Only with this extra apparatus can a Greekless reader have some confidence in forming his or her own understanding. And even most of us who know Greek are dependent on commentaries and interpretations like Irwin's to force ourselves to confront real issues and possibilities of meaning that we might clumsily miss as we read the Greek.

Since the strength of Irwin's translation is its clearly labelled interpretative moves, I think it is worth considering looking for the out-of-print FIRST edition (ISBN 0915145669). In the first edition, Irwin intrudes his own section headings at the rate of at least ten per Bekker page. These help you know exactly how Irwin is taking the argument (and again, even if you disagree, the value of a translation lies in offering an interpretation that makes some sense). For example, at 1143b6 and following, Irwin's headings say of understanding "It seems to grow naturally..." and then later "...But in fact it requires experience." NO ONE reading the Greek out of context could possibly come up with this contrast, which basically assumes that Aristotle's Greek is misleadingly written (really straining the idea of a result clause, in this instance) in order to make Aristotle make more consistent sense.

Irwin's notes are great. He offers TONS of cross references. It reminds me of a really good study Bible, with zillions of references to other passages packed in along the margins. (In Irwin, these notes are in the back.) Aristotle is a systematic thinker, even if he looks at things from different angles at different times. The kind of comparative reading encouraged by these references is the only way to understand Aristotle.

In short, this is a great edition that lets an English-language reader get into the "laboratory" of interpreting Aristotle. It's not polished, but neither is Aristotle. If you're sentenced to a lengthy jail term, you could take this volume, read and reread it with all Irwin's glossary-essays and cross-refs., and really start to understand how Aristotle thinks. If you were smart, you would end up disagreeing with some of Irwin's translations and interpretations. But it's a tremendous testimony to his interpretative labor that you could disagree in this way. (But if it's a general handle on Aristotle, as opposed to the Ethics, you want, you should really start with Irwin and Fine's Hackett "Selections"--NOT their "Introductory Readings" which deprives you of the glossary-and-notes apparatus really needed to get it.)

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars [e-mail], April 26, 2000

By 

Chan Wai Wing "Pabchan (Patrick Chan)" (Hong Kong) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Nicomachean Ethics (Paperback)

After I read Terence's translation, I found it is much better than Ross one. Note and glossary are especially helpful to those cannot read original greek.

I recommend it!

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Extremely readable for any individual, December 2, 2004

By 

Wendy Lynn Gisele Ip - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nicomachean Ethics (Paperback)

Irwin's translation is extremely readable for any individual and I urge any individual to read "Nicomachean Ethics". It is not necessary to have a formal background in philosophy to read and appreciate the concepts developed by Aristotle in "Nicomachean Ethics". It is in my personal opinion that Aristotle was a remarkably gifted individual whose ideas seem to emanate from a divine truth. I can not imagine any individual with a mind open to new ideas who would not benefit greatly from reading this book; especially, those who require a reaffirmation of their own truth developed through the course of their own life, such as: the concept of genuine happiness and a parallel one could draw with regards to the sanctification of human activity/ human life/ human spirit.