Nicomachean Ethics

This edition aims to offer modern readers a sense of the ongoing relevance of Aristotle’s ideas to historical and contemporary ethics.

Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics is a book of enduring relevance that aims to answer the question of how human beings should live. Much, however, has changed since the time of ancient Greece, and the meanings of words aren’t static. The goal of Christopher Byrne’s new translation is thus to make Aristotle accessible to modern readers who share in the common humanity of Aristotle’s world but don’t share his vocabulary or his culture. This goal is also served through a concise introduction, chronologies of Aristotle’s life and of his philosophical impact, and extensive clarifying footnotes. Also included in this edition are appendices outlining the book’s main argument and the many virtues under discussion, as well as illuminating passages from Plato, Thomas Aquinas, and Aristotle’s other writings.