Aristotle's Reading List
The 6 books that shaped Aristotle — philosopher & polymath.
Student of Plato, tutor to Alexander the Great, and the foundational mind behind Western logic, ethics, and science.
Influential Books
Nicomachean Ethics
Aristotle
Aristotle's guide to living well — virtue as a practice, happiness as the purpose of human life.
Politics
Aristotle
Aristotle's analysis of constitutions, justice, and the ideal state — foundational political philosophy.
Poetics
Aristotle
The first work of literary criticism — Aristotle's theory of tragedy, catharsis, and what makes a story work.
The Republic
Plato
Plato was Aristotle's teacher for twenty years. Aristotle revered him but departed from his idealism.
Physics
Aristotle
Aristotle's investigation of nature, motion, and causation — the foundation of natural philosophy for two millennia.
The Iliad
Homer
Aristotle tutored Alexander the Great using Homer. Alexander slept with a copy of the Iliad under his pillow.