The Metaphysics

Bought the book in “new” condition. But it arrived with a damaged binding due to the type of packaging it was wrapped in.

Aristotle in any form is a tough read. However, this edition proves to be quite user friendly with the language and does not have commentaries that would interfere or try to influence context with individual interpretations of such. Great for school...highly recommend.

This is one of the foundation works of Western Philosophy. It deals with what lies beyond natural philosophy( physics) and what we might call ' ultimate reality'. The work is in thirteen books , probably lecture notes collected by Aristotle's student, a fact which explains the choppiness and technical quality of the style. The great predecessor Plato whose Theory of Ideas Aristotle puts through the wringer is a master of literary style, while Aristotle is more the prosaic and dry of the two great figures of Greek Philosophy. The heart of this work is the discussion of 'Ontology' .The more empircal Aristotle focuses on distinctions between ' actuality' and 'potentiality' on on the progression from what is implicity real to what is realized as Real. One of the most important sections has to do with the dichotomy between ' substance' and ' essence' and the presentation of four different kinds of causes i.e. material, efficient, formal, final. Years ago I had trouble straightening this out in my head, and feel I have never really mastered it. This is one of the great books which it is not easy, and not particularly fun to read. I might also add that while it is ridiculous to blame Aristotle for this, the 'master of all who know' presented a ' science' of reality whose methods impeded the development of true science for centuries. Aristotle by this work made the studying of 'Metaphysics' the 'highest ' of all forms of philosophical and intellectual endeavor. It seems to me this work is thus of great historical importance for any student of philosophy, or of the history of ideas. However whether in all its quest for reality it gives us any true sense of reality, is another question.

Aristotle's Metaphysics cannot be underestimated as a fundamental in Western thought. While sometimes a plodding read (compared to Plato's Dialogues), the substance of Aristotle's work is far more rewarding to the serious reader. This book is an required component of any collection on philosophy.