Reason and Character – The Moral Foundations of Aristotelian Political Philosophy

Pangle's book offers a singularly illuminating, meticulous, and learned examination of one of the two central works of classical political philosophy: Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics. (The other central work is Plato's Republic.) Her argument that Aristotle ultimately offers a subtle, humane, socially responsible critique of the more conventional accounts of moral responsibility is all the more powerful because of her attention to Aristotle's overall discussion and because of her careful exegesis of the text. -- Peter Ahrensdorf, Davidson College In Reason and Character, Pangle brings her considerable interpretive skills to bear on foundational questions in the classical tradition. She opens new pathways in the study of Aristotle, adeptly engages the scholarly literature, and offers compelling solutions to long-standing debates regarding the Nicomachean Ethics. -- Susan D. Collins, University of Notre Dame Anyone working on the texts described would find them an invaluable aid. Philosophy students who are not reading Greek would also find them helpful gateways into Plato's and Aristotle's thoughts on these moral problems. [Pangle] quotes from other scholars generously, including when she disagrees, and her notes and references are extensive. This enterprise is exactly what she has said it is: the fruit of lengthy pondering on two difficult authors, in a notoriously problematic area of moral philosophy, leading to a new and illuminating synthesis between them. -- Colin McDonald * Classics for All (Praise for Virtue is Knowledge and Reason and Character) * Reason and Character is a challenging, searching, and meticulous examination of a classic text. It should be read by everyone who wishes to understand the Nicomachean Ethics. -- Mark Blitz * Claremont Review of Books * Examining questions that have perplexed generations of scholars, Pangle offers a fresh approach not simply through careful attention to the inquiry's dialectical nature, but through her own lively dialogue with Aristotle. * Review of Politics *