Aristotle: His Life and School

This biography shows that Aristotle's philosophy is best understood on the basis of a firm knowledge of his life and of the school he founded. Cutting through the controversy and confusion that have surrounded Aristotle's biography, the book tells the story of Aristotle's eventful life and sheds new light on his role in the foundation of the Lyceum. It offers the most detailed and persuasive argument yet for the view that the school, an important institution of higher learning and scientific research, was designed to foster a new intellectual way of life among Aristotle's followers, helping them fulfill an aristocratic ideal of the best way to use the leisure they enjoyed. Drawing a wealth of connections between Aristotle's life and thinking, the book demonstrates how the two are mutually illuminating. For this edition, ancient texts have been freshly translated on the basis of the most recent critical editions; indexes have been added, including a comprehensive index of sources and an index to previous scholarship; and scholarship that has appeared since the book's first edition has been incorporated.