Chapter 1
The Man and His Work
Aristotle died in the autumn of 322 bc. He was sixty-two and at the height of his powers: a scholar whose scientific explorations were as wide-ranging as his philosophical speculations were profound; a teacher who enchanted and inspired the brightest youth of Greece; a public figure who lived a turbulent life in a turbulent world. He bestrode antiquity like an intellectual colossus. No man before him had contributed so much to learning. No man after him might aspire torival his achievements. Of Aristotle’s character and personality little is known. He came from arich family. He was allegedly a dandy, wearing rings on his fingers and cutting his hair fashionably short. He suffered from poor digestion, andis said to have been spindle-shanked. He was a good speaker, lucid in his lectures, persuasive in conversation; and he had a mordant wit. His enemies, who were numerous, accused him of arrogance. His will, which has survived, is a generous document. His philosophical writings are impersonal; but they suggest that he prized both friendship andself-sufficiency, and that, while conscious of his place in an honourable tradition, he was properly proud of his own attainments. As a man, hewas, perhaps, admirable rather than amiable.
