There is no shortage of books promising to show “how ancient wisdom can change your life,” the generic subtitle of classicist Edith Hall's new book. What distinguishes “Aristotle's Way” from its predecessors is that its eponymous subject really can deliver on the promise.
Aristotle is one of a handful of thinkers who can credibly lay claim to being the greatest philosopher in history. A major survey showed that among academic philosophers today only David Hume has more disciples. Such has been his pre-eminence that Thomas Aquinas referred to him simply as “the philosopher.” Outside academe, however, Aristotle's brilliance is curiously dimmed. Popular books have extolled Confucius, the Stoics and even the Existentialists but not the genius who is more than their equal.
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