ARISTOTLE FOR EVERYBODY: or Difficult Thought Made Easy

Adler's Aristotle is not for everybody: ""professional philosophers,"" he says, will shy away, having been spoiled ""by the sophistication and specialization of academic thought."" It is to the ""unspoiled"" that his book is addressed, and many of them will welcome this introduction to ""Aristotle's common sense philosophy"" by one of the most famous modern Aristotelians. So determined was Adler to properly convey his master's message that he submitted parts of the text to the scrutiny of his teenage sons, ages 11 and 13. Precocious boys they must be, for this primer, though plain-spoken, is nonetheless a serious essay on the modes of philosophical thought--e.g., the spirit of critical inquiry, the structure of technical knowledge or ""knowhow,"" the pattern of the Good Life, the rules of logic, and the aims of theological speculation. To be sure, it is Adler's voice that speaks here, not Aristotle's--there are few quotations and no direct references--so the reader must take on faith or establish for himself that it is truly Aristotle and not only Adler whom he encounters. That faith will not be misplaced: Adler knows his Aristotle. But, helpfully, the Great Indexer of Ideas appends to his text a lengthy analytical table of the sources in Aristotle drawn upon in his exposition. An introduction, then, to Adler, Aristotle, and the common sense of philosophy.