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Aristotle for Everybody  By  cover art

Aristotle for Everybody

By: Mortimer J. Adler
Narrated by: Frederick Davidson
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Publisher's summary

“Almost all of the philosophical truths that I have come to know and understand I have learned from Aristotle,” says Mortimer J. Adler. This easy-to-listen-to exposition of Aristotle’s thoughts about nature, human actions, and the conduct of life confirms convictions that most of us hold, though we may not be fully aware of them. This is because Aristotle’s philosophical insights are grounded in the common experience we all possess and because they illuminate the common sense we all rely on.

Philosophy is everybody’s business. It deepens our understanding of the knowledge we already have about ourselves, our society, and the world in which we live. With the proper guidance, all of us can experience success and great satisfaction from this effort of understanding, and in this, no better guide can be found than Aristotle.

©1978 Mortimer J. Adler (P)1993 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“This is a self-help book in the best sense of the term.... The Aristotelian wisdom Adler affords us goes far beyond anything all the Norman Vincent Peales, Michael Kordas, and Wayne W. Dyers combined have to offer. Above all, Adler once again demonstrates that philosophy, real philosophy, can actually be useful.” ( Chicago Tribune Book World)
“Davidson has a wonderful voice. Far from common, it’s a genuinely erudite English actor’s voice. His sound is classy and classical.” ( AudioFile)

What listeners say about Aristotle for Everybody

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

A great primer in classical philosophy

You either like Dr. Adler, or you hate him. A good experiment to tell whether or not you have a problem with intellectual hubris is to read one of his books and see how much it raises your blood pressure. He takes a very didactic tone, and if you don't like that, you'd better find somewhere else to get your primer in Aristotelian thought. Unfortunately, I think the choice of narrator may exacerbate this--the nasal tone with British accent and drawn out inflection may stir unconscious prejudices of snobbishness.

However, if you can swallow your ego for a few hours and listen to this book, you will be rewarded! It may even cause you to rethink some of your basic assumptions/ideas about reality. The chapter on logic and argumentation was great! (though, admittedly, I had to pause quite often to allow my brain to catch up with the various propositions, etc...)

I'm an Adler fan, so I admit my bias here, but I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to dive into Aristotelian conceptions of physics and metaphysics, ethics, politics, and theology.

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6 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Incredibly well read

This is actually the first audio book I have listened to over and over (at least a few chapters 5 times). Chapters 12-15 (Audible's numbering) should be required reading for every member of human race. They deal with why we should live well, virtues and vices, making good choices. It amazes me, though it probably shouldn't, that Aristotle was thinking of things like the nature of love and friendship, family, government in 400 BC.

I also cannot say too much about Frederick Davidson, who has become my favorite narrator. He seems to completely understand the subject matter, which means we listeners are given a great advantage. He paces the text perfectly and puts the right emphasis on the complex parts which helps them sink in.

Don't be afraid of it. This really is an outstanding piece of work.

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6 people found this helpful

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    1 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Terrible Narrator

The material is interesting but the Narrator ruins it with his unbearable smugness and tone of unquestionable superiority. I tried listening multiple times and could not last more than 20 minutes before saying screw it.

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3 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Useful but poor choice in performance

Really my only complaint is the way the material was chosen to be read. The goal is to simplify or make Aristotle easier to digest for everyone, which was successful. A clear simple voice would’ve been more effective than what seems like a forced caricature of an aristocrat. It made the more complicated concepts later on harder to listen to.

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2 people found this helpful

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    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Wasn't able to finish

I typically enjoy any book on philosophy. I cannot fairly review the content of this book because I couldn't make it through chapter 1. The narrator sounds like the voice an American might create to mock a pompous condescending person. It's quite nasal and pretentious. His introduction was condescending at best. Like nails on a chalkboard but as insulting as it is annoying. With this narrator I don't think it really matters what the content it.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Good content, awful narrator

I really enjoyed the content of this book, but good grief the narrator sounds obnoxious. Luckily the book isn’t too long and I was able to power through it.

I’m a newb on Greek philosophy, so this was a nice intro for a dummy.

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    1 out of 5 stars
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Kill me now!

Would you try another book from Mortimer J. Adler and/or Frederick Davidson?

No

What was most disappointing about Mortimer J. Adler’s story?

Circular and rhetorical

How did the narrator detract from the book?

He is utterly annoying

What character would you cut from Aristotle for Everybody?

The narrator

Any additional comments?

So disappointed in this book. I tried to give it a chance, I really did, but after 2 hrs it made me want to gouge my ears out with a fork. I can't overemphasize how utterly annoying the narration is! And the writing? It just goes on and on in circles. Please make it stop!

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Listen to the sample!

A classic, and terrific primer. However, this title is long overdue for a new narration.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great book, needs better narration.

I enjoyed learning about Aristotle and Adler did a great job of making it accessible. However, the narrator, while good, has a distinct British accent which, combined with the fast pace of his reading, made it more of a struggle than it should have been to understand at several points. He should either have slowed down, or they should have gotten a more neutral accented narrator.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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Pass

This man may have had some interesting things to say, but his delivery was so affected that I could not stand to listen to him. He sounded like a bad actor trying to do an English accent. 10 minutes were all I could bear.

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1 person found this helpful