You do not have to be a college graduate to realize the major influence this fourth century BCE philosopher has had on shaping the mind and disciplines of the Western world; nor do you even have to be a philosophy major to join our reading group.

The only “requisites” might be: a true love for learning, a passion for discussion, and deep respect for the opinions, ideas, and questions of others. In this reading group we break the major works into more manageable chunks for discussion and reflection, and while such criteria make it impossible to tackle all of his major works, we will read in their entireties- Physica / Physics, De Anima / On the Soul, Metaphysica / Metaphysics , and Ethica Nicomachea / Nicomachean Ethics . Let’s learn what we still hold dear from Aristotle, as a culture and as individuals within that culture. Does Aristotle still speak to us?

A note on texts: There are many good translations of Aristotle. Each title we will read exists as an independent publication and also as a compendium. If you opt for a compendium please make sure it contains the works we will read in their entirety. I do not recommend any text in particular; however, whichever text you do select to read, make sure it divides the work into books/chapters AND it contains the Bekker numbering system (which consists of letter, number, number running just outside the text).

Suggested additional resources for the avid enthusiast (the texts below are NOT required reading):

Copleston, Frederick: A History of Philosophy, Vi: Greece and Rome (part IV Aristotle pp 266-378): Doubleday, first print 1944. (A concise presentation of Aristotle’s key philosophical concepts in historical contexts).

Natali, Carol: Aristotle: His Life and School, Princeton University Press, 2013. (Most definitive modern biography grounded in ancient texts, fragments, and Aristotle’s own will).

A. E. Taylor: Aristotle, Dover Publications, 1955 (An EXCELLENT Primer in Aristotelian philosophy).

This group meets on the third Sunday of the month (with exceptions in October, February, and April) from 2-3:30 pm in the Athenæum’s Bound.

Sun, September 15
Physica / Physics Books 1-4

*Sun, October 13
Physica / Physics Books 5-8

Sun, November 17
De Anima / On the Soul Books 1-3 (Whole text)

Sun, December 15
Metaphysica / Metaphysics Books 1-5

Sun, January 19
Metaphysica / Metaphysics Books 6-10

*Sun, February 16 *rescheduled from 2/9 due to snow*
Metaphysica / Metaphysics Books 11-14

Sun, March 16
Ethica Nicomachea / Nicomachean Ethics Books 1-3

**Sun, April 6
Ethica Nicomachea / Nicomachean Ethics Books 4-7

Sun, May 18
Ethica Nicomachea / Nicomachean Ethics Books 8-10

* Not the third Sunday of Month.
** Not the third Sunday of the Month; will meet in the upstairs Art Room.

Leonard Cambra (Lenny) has been a Foreign Language teacher for over 30 years and is currently Foreign Language Department chair at Woonsocket High School. He loves philosophy, history, and the humanities in general. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy and Letters from St. John’s Seminary College; master degrees in Religious Studies, Education, and Spanish from Providence and Rhode Island College, respectively; and a doctoral degree from Virginia Episcopal Seminary. This will be his fourth time as a reading group facilitator, his first tackling Aristotle, by popular demand from some of the Plato enthusiasts.