Origins of Western Thought

Aristotle was born in Northern Greece in 384 B.C. Plato was his teacher, but their views were not always identical. When Alexander the Great was a child, Aristotle was his tutor. Aristotle studied and wrote about many subjects, but is best-known for his work in philosophy, especially in logic, metaphysics, and ethics.

References

Collinson, D. & Plant, K. (2006). Fifty major philosophers. (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.

From this course you will read excerpts from the following works by Aristotle:

• Politics
• De Anima
• Nicomachean Ethics

The readings links above lead to MIT's Internet Classics Archive. If you experience difficulties accessing these selections, visit their home page at: http://classics.mit.edu/ and search for the reading there.