Aristotle (384 – 322 BC) was Plato’s greatest student. His corpus, which stands at the very heart of the Classical canon, includes works on logic, rhetoric, poetics, ethics, metaphysics, the soul, and even the sciences. Throughout these works, Aristotle teaches his readers not only to live but to live well: to strive for virtue, friendship, responsible political life, and contemplation. His work has profoundly impacted Judaic, Islamic, and Christian thinkers, particularly Catholic thinkers.
Dr. Christine Boor, the Vilma György Pallos Chair in Classical and Liberal Education & Associate Professor in the Honors College, offers an excellent introduction to Aristotle for high school students in this conversation with Jeremy Tate, the CEO of the Classic Learning Test (CLT):
Dr. Boor also provides a very clear examination of the Nicomachean Ethics, geared to advanced high school students and lifelong learners.
Preferred Translations:
Aristotle, De Anima, trans. Mark Shiffman (Indianapolis: Hackett, 2011).
Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, trans. Robert C. Bartlett and Susan D. Collins (Chicago: University of Chicago, 2011).
Aristotle, Poetics, trans. Seth Benardete and Michael Davis (South Bend, IN: St. Augustine’s Press, 2002).
Aristotle, Politics, 2nd Edition, trans. Carnes Lord (Chicago: University of Chicago, 2013).
Aristotle, Rhetoric, trans. Robert C. Bartlett (Chicago: University of Chicago, 2019).
Insightful Secondary Literature:
Christine J. Basil, “Justice Speaks: Nemesis, Nature, and the Common Law in Aristotle’s Rhetoric” Review of Politics, vol. 83, no. 2 (Spring 2021): 174-195.
Mary Nichols, Aristotle’s Discovery of the Human: Piety and Politics in the Nicomachean Ethics (South Bend: University of Notre Dame Press, 2025).
Mary Nichols, Citizens and Statesmen: A Study of Aristotle’s Politics (Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 1991).
Useful External Links:
Leo Strauss Center: Transcripts on Aristotle
Yale University’s Open Yale Courses: Dr. Stephen Smith on Aristotle’s Politics