The Reception of Aristotle's Ethics

Aristotle's ethics are the most important in the history of Western philosophy, but little has been said about the reception of his ethics by his many successors. The present volume offers thirteen newly commissioned essays covering figures and periods from the ancient world, starting with the impact of the ethics on Hellenistic philosophy, taking in medieval, Jewish and Islamic reception and extending as far as Kant and the twentieth century. Each essay focuses on a single philosopher, school of philosophers, or philosophical era. The accounts examine and compare Aristotle's views and those of his heirs and also offer a reception history of the ethics, dealing with matters such as the availability and circulation of Aristotle's texts during the periods in question. The resulting volume will be a valuable source of information and arguments for anyone working in the history of ethics.

Table of Contents:
Introduction Jon Miller; 1. The Nicomachean Ethics in Hellenistic philosophy: a hidden treasure? Karen Margrethe Nielsen; 2. The transformation of Aristotle's ethics in Roman philosophy Christopher Gill; 3. Aristotelian ethics in Plotinus Dominic J. O'Meara; 4. St Augustine's appropriation and transformation of Aristotelian eudaimonia Michael W. Tkacz; 5. The Arabic and Islamic reception of the Nicomachean Ethics Anna Akasoy; 6. Maimonides' appropriation of Aristotle's ethics Kenneth Seeskin; 7. The relation of prudence and synderesis to happiness in the medieval commentaries on Aristotle's ethics Anthony Celano; 8. Using Seneca to read Aristotle: the curious methods of Buridan's ethics Jack Zupko; 9. Aristotle's ethics in the Renaissance David Lines; 10. The end of ends? Aristotelian themes in early modern ethics Donald Rutherford; 11. Affective conflict and virtue: Hume's answer to Aristotle Kate Abramson; 12. Aristotle and Kant on ethics Manfred Kuehn; 13. The fall and rise of Aristotelian ethics in Anglo-American moral philosophy: nineteenth and twentieth century Jennifer Welchman.

About the Author :
Jon Miller is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Queen's University, Ontario. His publications include Hellenistic and Early Modern Philosophy (Cambridge, 2003), Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics: A Critical Guide (Cambridge, 2011) and Spinoza and the Stoics (Cambridge, 2015).

Review :
'As this engaging volume makes clear, different periods in the history of the reception of Aristotle's ethical theorizing have unsurprisingly drawn different morals from his teachings, as they were made available from the Nicomachean Ethics and other sources. As the authors of this fascinating volume attest, by comparing our own approaches and preoccupations to those of earlier encounters with Aristotle's ethical writings, we stand to learn a great [deal] about our own philosophical practices and preferences - and, of course, about Aristotelian ethical theory itself.' Christopher Shields, University of Oxford