Aristotle: Nicomachean Ethics, Books II--IV: Translated with an Introduction and Commentary

283 Pages·2006·1.05 MB·English

by  C. C. W. Taylor

CLARENDON ARISTOTLE SERIES
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ARISTOTLE
Nicomachean Ethics
Books II–IV
Translated
with a Commentary
by
C. C. W. TAYLOR
CLARENDON PRESS · OXFORD
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Aristotle
[Nicomacheanethics.Book2–4.English]
Nicomacheanethics.BooksII–IV/translated,withacommentaryby
C.C.W.Taylor.
p.cm.–(ClarendonAristotleseries)
IncludesbibliographicalreferencesandIndex.
ISBN-13:978–0–19–825067–8(alk.paper)
ISBN-10:0–19–825067–3(alk.paper)
ISBN-13:978–0–19–825066–1(alk.paper)
ISBN-10:0–19–825066–5(alk.paper)
1. Virtue. 2. Aristotle.Nicomacheanethics.Book2–4 I. Taylor,
C.C.W.(ChristopherCharlesWhiston),1936– . II. Title. III. Series.
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PREFACE
The text translated in this volume is the Oxford Classical Text
(hereafter ‘OCT’), edited by I. Bywater (Oxford, 1894); any
departures from the OCT are indicated in the commentary. In
conformity with standard practice, the translation includes the
marginal line numeration of I. Bekker’s edition of Aristotle
(Berlin, 1831), which follows that of the OCT as closely as the
differences between Greek and English word order permit.
I am especially indebted to the general editors of the Clarendon
AristotleSeries,ProfessorJ.L.Ackrill,whoinvitedmetocontrib-
ute a volume to the series, and Dr Lindsay Judson, who has read
several drafts and mingled warm encouragement with sagacious
suggestions for improvement. I am also grateful to Terry Irwin for
helpful comments.
The work was considerably advanced during a term spent in
2004 as a Visiting Fellow of the Centre for Ethics, Philosophy,
and Public Affairs at St Andrews University. I am most grateful
for the facilities provided by the Centre, and especially for the
kindness of its director, Professor John Haldane. During my time
at St Andrews I presented parts of the work to various seminars
and informal groups. It gives me great pleasure to acknowledge
the help I received from those who took part in these discus-
sions, and I hope that it will not be invidious to single out Sarah
Broadie, Jamie Dow, and Peter Woodward, who all gave me valu-
able suggestions (including, in the case of the latter, extensive
written comments). I spent the spring semester of 2005 at Cornell
University, in the course of which I gave a graduate seminar on
the Nicomachean Ethics, which included some material from the
present volume, and gave a talk on a related topic at the Fac-
ulty Discussion Club. I am most grateful for the valuable input
I received from colleagues and graduate students at both venues,
and in particular from Karen Nielsen.
WhileIhavesoughtasfaraspossibletoavoidtheuseofgender-
specific terminology in the commentary, I have not done so in the
v
preface
translation, since it would be anachronistic to represent Aristotle
as sharing modern sensibilities on this point.
c.c.w.t.
vi
CONTENTS
ABBREVIATIONS ix
INTRODUCTION xi
TRANSLATION 1
Preliminary Note 1
Book II 2
Book III 16
Book IV 38
COMMENTARY 59
Book II 59
Book III 125
Book IV 204
BIBLIOGRAPHY 239
INDEX OF PASSAGES CITED 249
GENERAL INDEX 255
vii
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ABBREVIATIONS
Aristotle
An. De Anima
An. Post. Posterior Analytics
Cael. De Caelo
Cat. Categories
EE EudemianEthics
HA Historia Animalium
MA De MotuAnimalium
Met. Metaphysics
MM MagnaMoralia
NE NicomacheanEthics
PA De Partibus Animalium
Poet. Poetics
Pol. Politics
Rhet. Rhetoric
Sens. De Sensu
Top. Topics
Plato
Grg. Gorgias
Lach. Laches
Leg. Laws
Phlb. Philebus
Prt. Protagoras
Resp. Republic
Other abbreviations
CAG Commentariain Aristotelem Graeca
DK H. Diels and W. Kranz, DieFragmentederVorsokratiker, 3
vols. (Berlin, 1954)
DL Diogenes Laertius
ix