Ross Sir David - Aristotle

There are several types of book about Aristotle which it would be interesting to write and perhaps not unprofitable to read. In one, it might be shown how almost the whole of his thought is a mosaic of borrowings from his predecessors, and yet is transformed by the force of his genius into a strikingly original system. In another, the attempt might be made to trace the chronological development of his thought; this has recently been done with marked success by Prof. W.Jaeger, in a book to which I should have owed much more had it reached me before mine was in the press. In another, the penetrating influence of Aristotle on subsequent philosophy might be followed down the centuries. I have not attempted any of these tasks, but have tried simply to give an account of the main features of his philosophy as it stands before us in his works. I have written little by way of criticism. If it is true that die Weltgeschichte ist das Weltgericht, it is especially true that the history of philosophy is an implicit criticism of the earlier systems of thought. What is true in Aristotle has become part, and no small part, of the heritage of all educated men; what is false has been gradually rejected, so that explicit criticism is now hardly necessary.

My greatest obligations are to the teachers from whom I have learnt most of what I know about Aristotle, Mr. R.P.Hardie and Prof. J.A.Smith; next to them, I would express my gratitude to Lt.-Col. A.S.L.Farquharson, who has read the proofs and made many valuable suggestions. Of recent books, Prof. H.Maiers Die Syllogistik des Aristoteles, Prof. A.Mansions Introduction la Physique Aristotlicienne, and Prof. H.H.Joachims edition of the De Generatione et Corruptione are those which I have found most helpful. W.D.ROSS

In issuing this revised edition, I wish to express my gratitude to Professor H.H.Joachim, F.B.A., for the full and careful comments on the first edition which he was good enough to send me, as well as to the late Professor W.Rhys Roberts and Mr H.W.B.Joseph for some valuable hints. I hope that this edition has profited considerably by their suggestions and those of various reviewers.

Further corrections have been made in this edition, and I have brought the bibliography up to date. I append (on p. viii), for the convenience of readers, a list of the abbreviations which I have used in this book for the names of Aristotles works.

Further corrections have been made in this edition, and the bibliography has been brought up to date.

The bibliography has again been brought up to date in this edition, and again for its 1953 reprint.