On Aristotle : saving politics from philosophy

158 Pages·2014·1.41 MB·English

CONTENTS
Preface
Chronology
Introduction
Aristotle: Saving Politics from Philosophy
Selections
A Note on the Selections
Nicomachean Ethics
Politics
Also by Alan Ryan
PREFACE
I
N THE INTRODUCTION TO On Politics, I suggested that one measure of the book’s
success would be the readers who went and read the works of the authors I
discussed. Some readers suggested that I might encourage them to do so by
taking chapters of On Politics and adding to them substantial extracts from the
works I hoped they would read. What follows is exactly that, with a short
introduction to provide some of the context that the chapter’s original placement
in On Politics would have provided. As before, I am grateful to Bob Weil and
William Menaker at Liveright, as well as to the Norton production team, for
their help in making an author’s life as easy as it can plausibly be made.
CHRONOLOGY
ca. Solon’s reforms; creation of first coinage
594
Peisistratus becomes tyrant
561
Peisistratus succeeded by his sons
527
Birth of Aeschylus (d. 456)
525
Expulsion of the Peisistratid tyrants
510
508/6 Institution of Athenian democracy by Cleisthenes
Revolt of Miletus and other cities in Asia Minor (crushed 494)
499
Birth of Sophocles (d. 406)
496
Invasion of Greece by the great king Darius
Invasion of Greece by the great king Darius
490
Athenian hoplites defeat Persians in Battle of Marathon
490
Birth of Euripides (d. 406)
485
Ostracism of Aristides “the Just”
482
Invasion of Greece by the Persian great king Xerxes; Battle of Thermopylae;
480Battle of Salamis
Battle of Plataea; end of Persian invasion
479
Expansion of democracy under Ephialtes
461
Intermittent warfare between Athens and Sparta (to 445)
461
Ascendancy of Pericles (d. 429); birth of Thucydides (d. 400)
460
Treasury of the Delian League moved to Athens
454
Beautification of the Acropolis; Parthenon begun
447
447
Thirty Years’ Peace agreed between Athens and Sparta
445
Beginning of Peloponnesian War
431
Plague in Athens
430
Birth of Plato
427
Peace of Nicias agreed for fifty years
421
Massacre and enslavement of the Melians
416
Sicilian expedition; ends in disaster in 413
415
Oligarchy of the four hundred
411
Peloponnesian War ends in Athenian defeat; installation of Thirty Tyrants
404
Restoration of democracy
403
403
Execution of Socrates
399
Birth of Aristotle at Stagira in Macedon
384
Plato establishes the Academy
380
Theban victory in Battle of Leuctra breaks Sparta’s grip on central Greece
371
Aristotle arrives at Athens and enrolls in Plato’s Academy
367
Battle of Mantinea further weakens Sparta; death of Epaminondas disables
362Theban attempts at hegemony
Republic written by Plato
360
Philip II becomes king of Macedon
359
Birth of Alexander the Great
356
Laws written shortly before the death of Plato; Aristotle leaves Athens
347
347
Aristotle becomes tutor to Alexander
343
Philip II defeats Greek alliance at Chaeronea, becomes hegemon over Greece
338
Philip of Macedon murdered; Alexander prepares invasion of Persia
336
Aristotle returns to Athens and founds the Lyceum
335
Alexander dies at Babylon
323
Aristotle dies on island of Euboea; Athenian fleet defeated at Battle of Amorgos;
322Demosthenes commits suicide