Aristotle's Discovery of the Human

“This is an outstanding book that makes an innovative and sophisticated contribution to our understanding of the Nicomachean Ethics in particular and of Aristotle’s practical philosophy in general.” —Gerald M. Mara, author of The Civic Conversations of Thucydides and Plato

“Notable for clarity, good sense, and insight, Mary Nichols’s lovely book is a delight and a treasure.” —Harvey C. Mansfield, author of Manliness

"An impressive and accomplished study of Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics. . . .Nichols' book is among the very best contemporary studies of Aristotle. Essential." —Choice

"Mary Nichols’s new book, Aristotle’s Discovery of the Human, despite chiefly being a reading of 2,500-year-old texts, could scarcely have come at a better time. In Nichols’s hands, these texts and their relevance to our times quickly become clear." —The New Criterion

"[S]hould the reader of the Nicomachean Ethics not pay close attention to what the philosopher has to say about the divine? Yet few recent commentators have done so, until now. In this careful, richly textured commentary, Mary P. Nichols undertakes the Aristotelian task of correcting the balance." —Interpretation

"If piety can be shown to one’s teachers 'with whom one has studied philosophy' because our debts to them, like our debts to our parents and to God, are so large that we can never repay them..., then Nichols’ book is itself a noble exercise of piety to the genius from Stagira." —Ancient Philosophy

"Nichols’s book is a masterly demonstration of how careful study of an ancient text proceeds." —Claremont Review of Books

"In her comprehensive commentary, as bold as it is witty and profound, Nichols draws inferences from the Nicomachean Ethics that resonate with that of Alfarabi....Nichols’s Aristotle leads the reader to discover humanity. It is a good read." —Review of Politics