Rowe Books

Religious history, like art history, seems almost an oxymoron, insofar as the ancient we find compelling, fascinating, awesome, often through the same quality of line, color and form. This is the sense that Martin Rowe captures in Nicaea; truth is elusive in life and language, religion and art. Through the narrative and the letters, Rowe explores how people still come closer. It's an astonishing achievement.

Martin Rowe's writing is simply beautiful - like poetry - lush, vivid, imaginative and evocative. Reading Nicaea was delicious, like savoring a gourmet meal with so many courses.

Over and over I was reminded of Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children. Rowe weaves together so many stories, tales and events. Sort of breathtaking how he manages to pull so much together. A pleasure to read.

Nicaea rocks. It rocks you gently between past and present, Nicaea and Izmik (modern day Turkey). It is a meditation on lots of events - set, re-set and re-created in a beloved place, a place that is itself an event. I enjoyed the layering of story upon story, the wonderful characters (including a very funny puppet). The chapters are distinct each from the other, and Rowe is able to create a sort of momentum or weaving that satisfies the curious and completes the book in a state that is part relection, part meditation and part of an ever expanding story that is lived in all places. I look forward to re-reading this book with my book club. It will point readers to their own locations of growth, reflection, participation, inquiry and desire the way that only good fiction can.

A wonderful, personal story that tells of our Western cultural roots through the eyes of those who have lived and nurtured them. Rowe is a wonderful storyteller whose language is reminiscent of Rushdie's best (without the tiresome irony), and whose insights and mythic tales delight with a too-often forgotten sense of wonder. Nicaea is highly recommended for those who require intelligent writing.

When have you read a book that is 'brand new'? Martin Rowe used the late antiguity famed city of Nicaea for the center of historically modified characters like Eusebius, Arius, Athanatius and put them in conversation with each other and mixed in another ten corrrespondents both antient and contemporary to delve into mystery of relationships, all out lusting for truth and wisdom, ways of living for meaning that is somehting for which to die. Each correspondent is textured with layers of meaning and fit together as a satifying whole if the reader only take in the whole book and let it work as an entity...like the place Nicaea itself..there's something in this book that will endure beyond the writer.

For me, a Benedictine Nun, I especially identified with the two woman deaconesses as they were surrendering, "Give us your love so it might be returned, given to us so we might know the belovedness of being loved." (256)
This book is the best read of 2003 for me. I recomened it for those who read widely, but want specific entries of hope in this troubled world.

Once again, editors of the well known textbook of pediatric surgery publish an obligated refernce book for all pediatric surgeons, pediatricians, and practitioners. This new edition is updated and the refernces at the end of each chapter are an excelnet complement.

Very nice text covering pediatric surgery. Covers a multitude of topics w/ good explanations and well drawn pictures outlining the key points of the operation. More oriented to the actual surgery, would recommend something like Ashcraft for more in depth discussion of pathophysiology.

A long overdue updated edition of the Paediatric Surgery 'Bible'.The new panel of authors have maintained the traditionally excellent charecter and readability of the book.It has been throughly updated and many sections rewritten.A extensive and exhautive reference book for all surgeons involved in the care of babies and children.

This is the new edition of the "classic" textbook of Pediatric Surgery. It is the most comprehensive text available on the subject, a must for all practicing pediatric surgeons and aspiring pediatric surgeons. Perhaps a bit too comprehensive for non-pediatric surgeons looking for a simple reference book to keep on their shelf. Nevertheless, even in its fifth edition, this remains the "bible" of Pediatric Surgery.

This two-volume textbook is the definitive reference book for pediatric surgery as practiced in the U. S. and Canada. As a pediatric surgeon, I use it frequently to refresh myself on the more complicated or unusual cases that I encounter. In addition, it is a good source of material for preparing educational presentations for other health care professionals. Every pediatric surgeon or resident in a pediatric surgery residency training program should own this book.

That said, this book is perhaps a bit too much for the general surgery resident or medical student in the middle of a busy pediatric surgery rotation. He or she might do better with Principles of Pediatric Surgery, a single-volume textbook covering the essentials of the subject, also published by Mosby. This other book would probably also best serve other nonsurgical pediatric physicians for pediatric surgery reference purposes.

This book offers the most comprehensive and quality do's and don'ts for animals I have ever seen. A must for all pet lovers!

"Animal Nutrition" is one of the best books on nutrition I have ever read. Mr. Rowe has penned an easily read text with wonderful pictures. It educated, informed, made me think, laugh, and cry all at the same time. His stories are heartfelt and will connect to many a reader's own experiences. Our pet friends do so much for us ----- faithful to the end. Reading "Animal Nutrition" by John Rowe will be time well spent. Our Pet Pals deserve it.

*****I have loved and truely enjoyed all our pets. This attachment grows and you want your animals to live forever. Good nurition allows your pet to live a longer, healthier, active life. We want this for ourselves, so why should your pet be cheated. "Animal Nutrition" is a book about nutrition and many true pet stories. You will laugh, cry and appreciate these wonderful pets. These stories will bring out many of your own animal experiences. You have an obligation to be aware of the atrocities of poor nutrition. Saving a few dollars and selecting the wrong food for your valued pet is by far the worse possible step for a real animal lover. Read "Animal Nutrition" and discover a whole new way of taking care of your animals...becuase they surely take care of you. ##

If you think that the sales people at your pet store, or your veterinarian know all there is to know about animal nutrition, think again. John Rowe shares his experience and wisdom in pet care. Highlighting in particular the foul food by-products that many pet-food manufacturers sell as "healthy balanced diets". Good marketing and packaging may have made you overlook some common sense facts. A must read if you have lost a pet of "natural" causes and can't understand why.

After all the psycho babble and clap trap of therapists and experts over the last 15 years, I now finally understand my own behaviour and can use my own knowledge to continue to learn and grow. Dorothy Rowe cuts to the chase and allows us to develop our own thinking as she gives us invaluable insights on the human condition. The depth of this woman's knowledge is extraordinary. This 75 year Aussie got voted one of the sixth wisest people in the UK, so the secret is out.
Run and get this book

This is the book for anyone who wants to seriously understand why we operate the way we do in our culture and for anyone battling through any kind of depression or life-angst. It helped me to understand my relationships with everyone in my life, most importantly myself and that unmentionable fear that makes life all too hard to live sometimes. It really is a gift to the world.

After 15 years in the therapy business, and several hundred books on psychology later, (most of them unforgettable except for one or two points) I can state with some authority, that Dorothy Rowe's wisdom is indisputable. She guides you into understanding your deepest fears and deepest secrets and learning to truly love yourself. Not in the 10 easy steps false positive way that is so popular in current psychology, but in ironically both the most simplest way - in appreciating how important understanding whether we feel good or bad as humans is, and in also the most complex as she builds on our belief systems inherited from childhood to the desperate defences we use in order to survive.
Every American should read how she explains "so-called" mental illnesses and truly changes lives by helping others to remember how much they know or how to take control of their lives out of the hands of 'experts', and back into the person who really knows best if only they get support and trust in their own thinking.
Power to you
Maryanne Campbell

I think this book is a great asset to the people living day to day with Schizophrenia. I live with it every day and it is very hard to cope with it and having a brother with it.

I agree with the prior reviews. I think it's a must-read for people at all levels (regardless of what field you're in). For me, it brought to light my managers' thinking process (I could see each one of them in one of the categories), and made me much more understanding of the way they work. Kudos to Steve Wille for his writing style and ability to communicate this information in a way that should appeal to all readers.

I thought Colorful Leadership was a delightful and interesting way to learn to view how differently individuals can brainstorm. Facilitating meetings with insights into how people solve problems from different perspectives is a helpful lesson for me. The book was short, to the point, and extremely informative. It was a joy to read.

This insightful easy-to-read book helps explain group dynamics and personality traits in such creative ways. The content is applicable to management in all sectors of business.

I found that once I had the time to sit and read the book without any distractions, I could not put the book down. That is rare for me when it comes to these types of books. I always enjoy reading books related to this subject, but yours was an easy read and I found that it relates to the reader on a personal level.

The material is well organized and easy to understand. Direct and to the point. The content is very clear - no `fluff' to fill up pages. All information that can be used and practiced easily. I always wanted to turn the page to see what was next.

So many times when you read a book on related matter as this, you end up skipping sections because you can't relate to what is being said or understand why it was there in the first place.

I appreciated the section on Constructive Conflict. You hit it right on target regarding believing in our abilities and stop being the victim.

Thank you for a great book.

After reading "Exploring the Year 2000," I was able to follow all of the current reports in the press, magazines, and on the Internet, because the author defines the computer terms relating to Y2K, explains who all the major players are in this phenomenon, and gives details about the congressional committees and industry organizations that are monitoring Y2K progress worldwide.

I have been worried about my obligations as a landlord (for example, I still don't have assurances from the utility companies that there will be no disruptions of services to my tenants). I also have investments, and I don't know if the value of my stock is going to be affected by Y2K. Ms. Vannelli's book has helped me understand what recourse is available for me. Also, the author has been great about responding to my questions about such issues.

I have been worried about my obligations as a landlord (for example, I still don't have assurances from the utility companies that there will be no disruptions of services to my tenants). I also have investments, and I don't know if the value of my stock is going to be affected by Y2K. Ms. Vannelli's book has helped me understand what recourse is available for me. Also, the author has been great about responding to my questions about such issues.

"Exploring the Year 2000: A Comprehensive Layman's Guide," is the only Y2K resource book on the market that covers the entire field of this subject matter (including legal rights you should know about should your life be affected by Y2K disruptions, and a detailed family Y2K preparedness plan). Because the book is written in a simple and lively style, anyone, including those who are computer illiterate, can understand the the details of the problem (how it arose, how it is fixed, how to prepare for disruptions). The author, an Ohio attorney, has followed all of the Senate and House hearings on Y2K since they began, and monitors the federal regulatory reportings. Use the toll free number at the front of the book to get current updates through the end of 1999.

Even as the "survivor" of childhood abuse, this book gave me such insight into the "why's" of my personality as an adult. Not to use as an excuse, but to grow from the emotional pain of my past, into an emotionally healthy individual...

An Insightful look at the effects Child Abuse can have on a survivor, as well as a guide for those who love them in how best to contend with the ghosts of their past. Written with Compassion and Empathy while encouraging an emphatic approach to attaining a life well worth living. I know... I have indeed survived with this book at my side.

Because the body is the house of the soul, it should not be necessary to focus on abuse, either emotional or sexual - actually, one and the same, really, as limited only to females; many men are composites of enormous stress, unresolved conflict resolution, and highly leveraged disciplinary measures from childhood and indeed up until manhood. As I watched a parent today require his 2 year old son to remain sitting in the chair he was in (despite his son's drive to "move" consistent with nature's instinct and drive), I wondered how such patterns of restraint might affect him, and their relationship later. What messages were being sent by the father? What messages were received by the son? Beyond the fact of this dominance display, the reasons were frail if not inadequate to produce the mandate in this instance, although they are not always. The pattern was used throughout the day by both parents, and I wondered if they were trying to teach "patience, and self restraint" in so young a child who is little more than a bundle of energy, new to the possibility of moving, and hence, inspired by his new found ability. What happens to the desire to move when it is so abrubtly curtailed in so young a soul? When nature conflicts with man's desire to control nature, doesn't nature always find a different avenue of expression, some not so natural? Requiring a child to "stay," as if he were a pet may not be the ideal method to teach values or mechanics, but instead displays power that children are apt to emulate as they become adults. While safety is always an issue for children, convenience often supercedes the issues of safety and become the dominating factor in relationships instead, to the detriment of nature's logical progress, destroying the ability to reach the compromises characteristic of natural selection. Nature rarely destroys, but instead adapts.

This is easily the best of a dozen or so books I have worked through. It is defininately Christian in its approach, even if you do not hold this world view there is comfort and information for the spouse of a sexual abuse survivor.

This book ties for first place in my list of resources with Laura Davis's "Allies in Healing" (NOT a Christian work but excellent nonetheless). Spouses, you are not alone, unique or crazy! These volumes will help you grasp what your survivor is working through and give you help in dealing with the damage of sexual abuse (for yourself and the survivor).

Exhaustively researched and beautifully crafted, this book provides a much needed insight into the inherent flaws and complication posed by the FBI's informant system. It's historical -- in the sense of looking at historical events -- but it's also extremely relevant to the problems of today.

Gary May is a talented storyteller and his account of what happened to Viola Liuzzo is riveting. I spent Christmas week with his book in hand, taking every opportune moment to continue learning about this young mother's quest to do something right about the civil rights movement and how she was partly the victim of Hoover's FBI. Often, I felt that I was traveling along with Liuzzo as May's tale unfolded - I felt I was in the car when she was murdered. Great book. Couldn't put it down.

Forty years ago, a civil rights movement grew in the south that was opposed by white supremacists who thought blacks should not have equal opportunities in shopping, dining, transportation, and education, and who were ready to use violence to maintain segregation. The murder in Alabama of white civil rights worker Viola Liuzzo on 25 March 1965 got the immediate attention of the nation, and of President Johnson, who was proud to be able to tell the nation twenty-four hours later that the murderers had been caught. It was a killing by Klansmen, but not one of those that went unsolved for decades. The only reason the murderers were caught so quickly is that with them was an informant, the FBI's man who had infiltrated the Birmingham Klan branch and who reported the crime and the criminals immediately. Johnson was proud, J. Edgar Hoover was proud, and the informant, Gary Thomas Rowe, was a hero. The problem is that the story is far more confused and Rowe's heroism and the FBI's tactics are far more questionable than they seemed at the time. In _The Informant: The FBI, the Ku Klux Klan, and the Murder of Viola Liuzzo_ (Yale University Press), history professor Gary May has told an exciting story full of ambiguity and of criticism for the FBI, and has described a long-ago society which accepted that skin color was an individual's most important characteristic.

Rowe was recruited by the FBI in 1960; he was a bartender, bouncer and machinist who accurately proclaimed himself a hell-raiser, and so he fit into the Klan. An informant has to act the role of a group member, and this means enthusiastically participating in what the group does, which Rowe did. He worked up the Klan hierarchy and did provide valuable information, but also he participated in brawls along with his fellow Klansmen. He was in the car with three other Klansmen after a Selma-Montgomery march. The shooting wounded a young black civil rights worker and killed the driver, the mercurial 39-year-old mother of five from Detroit, Viola Liuzzo. He was the main prosecution witness in the trial of the other three, but even so, they were eventually found innocent of murder, only being found guilty in federal court of civil rights violations. Rowe's role in the murder is not clearly that of a mere observer and informer. He may have tried to influence the others to call off the chase, but he may also have shot at the car himself, and thus may have been an accessory to the crime. The Liuzzo family was devastated and torn asunder by the murder, and although they had originally joined in the general approbation of Rowe as hero, two decades later they sued the government in a wrongful death lawsuit; the judge threw out the suit because, among other reasons, Rowe was in his estimation not violent or dangerous, but a model public servant. Rowe died in 1998, a bankrupt ne'er-do-well who blamed the FBI for not supporting him in the way he had expected.

Liuzzo's story has been largely forgotten, although she was the only white female civil rights worker to be martyred during the days of demonstrations in the South. This is, however, Rowe's story, and it not only stands as a remarkable recreation of a tumultuous time, but is a cautionary tale for our own time. As May points out, Hoover to his shame used informants as pawns against Martin Luther King and against the movements opposing the Vietnam war, and the FBI has subsequently had its own thugs in the Mafia who were personally guilty of murder and robbery while getting FBI salaries. There are calls for more "human intelligence" in the actions against terrorists, but we should remember that it is not simply a matter of paying snitches. The costs of supporting informants who are supposed to be acting like miscreants, and may do a convincing job in their roles, may be incalculable, and the information gained by such ambiguous means may not be worth the resultant mistrust of government agencies.

Gary May brilliantly tells the story of the murder of civil rights activist Viola Liuzzo on March 25, 1965, and exposes the violent misdeeds of KKK members, who mostly considered themselves to be doing "God's work" when they harrassed, beat, and murdered blacks as well as white citizens who were unfortunate enough to get in the way. The career of the self-centered, attention hungry, redneck informant Gary Thomas Rowe is skillfully retraced, and the ineptitude and negligence of FBI agents and the organization as a whole are exposed. The copy I have is an "advance uncorrected page proof" (review copy) and has frequent spelling and punctuation errors; thus the four star rating. Otherwise, I would have given this book a full five stars, because it is excellent.

"Making Friends With Time" is a book that will guide you in a most kind and gentle way. It is a very refreshing and light hearted book, yet it is steeped in teaching. This is a book that you can pick up any time you feel a need for understanding and direction but without the hard sell. So soft and peaceful, you must read it. You will enjoy it and you will use it.

Well, a friend gave me this book a few months ago and I've already read it twice. There are about 60 short (2-4 page) sections, and it's perfect to read one section every morning with my first cup of coffee. It's almost like having coffee every morning with a really close friend who cares about me and wants me to have a wonderful day. It becomes sort of a meditation and a treat to spend my five minutes a day with this book. And, just as it's supposed to, it puts me in a frame of mind to really live and appreciate each day, and to be kind to myself. It's NOT one of those books with lots of phycho-mumbo-jumbo. Instead, it's full of warm, personal, and vivid stories. It's definitely a book you'll want to give to all your friends as a friendship book, or for birthdays, or whatever. Absolutely recommended for people who are already normal and happy (as well as everybody else).

This isn't another "How to Multi-Task Even More Craziness into Your Day" advisory. In fact, it's just the opposite. Peggy and Tracy suggest you stop. That's all. Just pause, breathe and enjoy what's happening in your life at this very moment.

The book stems from the authors' years as corporate consultants for executives. Their life experiences went into the book. They were extremely busy entrepreneurs with extemely busy lives, traipsing all over the planet, and these things worked for them. If they could make friends with time, you can, too.

First become aware of the choices you have about how you can spend your time. Then notice what's taking place around you. Throughout the day are moments of renewal, moments of freshness that help transform the usual experience of getting to the end of the day exhausted because you've drained yourself. When you're in the present moment, the day opens up. This book offers reminders to help you access inner time as well as outer time. You can begin to be in the rhythm and timing of your own life, and get in tune with what that is for you. It's about the quality of time, not just the quantity.

Not everyone can go retreat at a monastery, but everyone can stop and take five, learn a song that helps them slow down. You don't need money, don't need to take time off. In fact, as a culture, when we're on that long-awaited year-end vacation, lots of us are so exhausted we just drink all day. People don't know how to be with themselves, don't know how to just BE, 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year. The key concept in this book is learning how to be fully present in each moment and how that transforms the way you experience yourself and your life. It's very simple, yet very profound.

If that sounds double-edged, that's good! That's how I meant it! This book is so relaxing, uplifting, and enjoyable that it really is like being around a good friend. A friend is somebody you spend quality time with: who picks you up when you need a boost, inspires you, gives you excellent practical advice, makes you laugh, is always around when you need them, and with whom you look forward to sharing more time! The book has seven main sections in it, filled with chapters that are only a few pages long each. At the end of each chapter are suggested exercises to help you gain the most experience and insight from the subject matter discussed. The chapters are based on life experiences that we can all relate to. The exercises can be practical, introspective, occasionally frivolous, but they are all fun! And they are all designed to offer you advice on how to enjoy your time, not be at the mercy of it. So, I would definitely say, "Get this book, and see how quickly it makes a difference in the way you use your time." And the other edge of the sword...give this book to someone you care about, or somebody you'd like to have as a friend. I guarantee they will appreciate it, and you will have done what the title of my review says!

I read this book for a graduate seminar on Aristotle. I think Aristotle's ethics is his most seminal work in philosophy. In the early 1960's virtue ethics came to fore. It is a retrieval of Aristotle. It has very close parallels to the ancient Chinese philosophy of Confucius and the modern philosophy espoused in the 1970's called Communitarianism.

For Aristotle Nicomachean Ethics, (EN) is about human life in an embodied state. Area of inquirery for EN is "good" this is his phenomenology. What does "good" mean? He suggests good means "a desired end." Something desirable. Means towards these ends. Such as money is good, so one can buy food to eat because "eating is good." In moral philosophy distinction between "intrinsic good" vs. "instrumental good." Instrumental good towards a desire is "instrumental good" like money. Thus, money is an "instrumental good" for another purpose because it produces something beyond itself. Instrumental good means because it further produces a good, "intrinsic good" is a good for itself, "for the sake of" an object like money. "Intrinsic good" for him is "Eudemonia=happiness." This is what ethics and virtues are for the sake of the organizing principle. Eudemonia=happiness. Today we think of happiness as a feeling. It is not a feeling for Aristotle. Best translation for eudaimonia is "flourishing" or "living well." It is an active term and way of living for him thus, "excellence." Ultimate "intrinsic good" of "for the sake of." Eudaimonia is the last word for Aristotle. Can also mean fulfillment. Idea of nature was thought to be fixed in Greece convention is a variation. What he means is ethics is loose like "wealth is good but some people are ruined by wealth." EN isn't formula but a rough outline. Ethics is not precise; the nature of subject won't allow it. When you become a "good person" you don't think it out, you just do it out of habit!

You can have ethics without religion for Aristotle. Nothing in his EN is about the afterlife. He doesn't believe in the universal good for all people at all times like Plato and Socrates. The way he thought about character of agent, "thinking about the good." In addition, Aristotle talked about character traits. Good qualities of a person who would act well. Difference between benevolent acts and a benevolent person. If you have good character, you don't need to follow rules. Aretç=virtue, in Greek not religious connotation but anything across the board meaning "excellence" high level of functioning, a peak. Like a musical virtuoso. Ethical virtue is ethical excellence, which is the "good like." In Plato, ethics has to do with quality of soul defining what to do instead of body like desires and reason. For Aristotle these are not two separate entities.

To be good is how we live with other people, not just focus on one individual. Virtue can't be a separate or individual trait. Socrates said same the thing. Important concept for Aristotle, good upbringing for children is paramount if you don't have it, you are a lost cause. Being raised well is "good fortune" a child can't choose their upbringing. Happenstance is a matter of chance.

Pleasure cannot be an ultimate good. Part of the "good life" involves external goods like money, one can't attain "good life" if one is poor and always working. Socrates said material goods don't matter, then he always mooched off of his friends! Aristotle surmises that the highest form of happiness is contemplation. In Aristotle's Rhetoric, he lists several ingredients for attaining eudaimonia. Prosperity, self-sufficiency, etc., is important, thus, if you are not subject to other, competing needs. A long interesting list. It is common for the hoi polloi to say pleasure=happiness. Aristotle does not deny pleasure is good; however, it is part of a package of goods. Pleasure is a condition of the soul. In the animal world, biological beings react to pleasure and pain as usual. Humans as reasoning beings must pursue knowledge to fulfill human nature. It must be pleasurable to seek knowledge and other virtues and if it is not there is something wrong according to Aristotle. These are the higher pleasures and so you may have to put off lower pleasures for the sake of attaining "higher pleasures."

Phronçsis= "intelligence," really better to say "practical wisdom." The word practical helps here because the word Phronçsis for Aristotle is a term having to do with ethics, the choices that are made for the good. As a human being, you have to face choices about what to do and not to do. Phronçsis is going to be that capacity that power of the soul that when it is operating well will enable us to turn out well and that is why it is called practical wisdom. The practically wise person is somebody who knows how to live in such a way so that their life will turn out well, in a full package of "goods." For Aristotle, Phronçsis is not deductive or inductive knowledge like episteme; Phronçsis is not a kind of rational knowledge where you operate in either deduction or induction, you don't go thru "steps" to arrive at the conclusion. Therefore, Phronçsis is a special kind of capacity that Aristotle thinks operates in ethics. Only if you understand what Aristotle means by phronesis do you get a hold on the concept. My way of organizing it, it is Phronçsis that is a capacity that enables the virtues to manifest themselves.

What are the virtues? Phronçsis is the capacity of the soul that will enable the virtues to fulfill themselves. Virtue ethics is the characteristics of a person that will bring about a certain kind of moral living, and that is exactly what the virtues are. The virtues are capacities of a person to act well. All of the virtues can be organized by way of this basic power of the soul called Phronçsis. There are different virtues, but it is the capacity of Phronçsis that enables these virtues to become activated. Basic issue is to find the "mean" between extremes; this is how Aristotle defines virtues.

Humans are not born with the virtues; we learn them and practice them habitually. "We reach our complete perfection through habit." Aristotle says we have a natural potential to be virtuous and through learning and habit, we attain them. Learn by doing according to Aristotle and John Dewey. Then it becomes habitual like playing a harp. Learning by doing is important for Aristotle. Hexis= "state," "having possession." Theoria= "study." The idea is not to know what virtue is but to become "good." Emphasis on finding the balance of the mean. Each virtue involves four basic points.

1. Action or circumstance. Such as risk of losing one's life.
2. Relevant emotion or capacity. Such as fear and pain.
3. Vices of excess and vices of deficiency in the emotions or the capacities. Such as cowardice is the excess vice of fear, recklessness is the excess deficiency.
4. Virtue as a "mean" between the vices and deficiencies. Such as courage as the "mean."

No formal rule or "mean" it depends on the situation and is different for different people as well. For example--one should eat 3,000 calories a day. Well depends on the health and girth of the person, and what activity they are engaged in. It is relative to us individually.
All Aristotle's qualifications are based on individual situations and done with knowledge of experience. Some things are not able to have a "mean" like murder and adultery because these are not "goods."
Akrasia= "incontinence" really "weakness of the will. Socrates thought that all virtues are instances of intelligence or Phronçsis. Aristotle criticizes Socrates idea of virtue, virtue is not caused by state of knowledge it is more complicated. Aristotle does not think you have to have a reasoned principle in the mind and then do what is right, they go together.

The distinctions between continent and incontinent persons, and moderate (virtue) and immoderate (not virtuous) persons is as follows:

1. Virtue. Truly virtuous people do not struggle to be virtuous, they do it effortlessly, very few people in this category, and most are in #2 and #3.
2. Ethical strength. Continence. We know what is right thing to do but struggle with our desires.
3. Ethical weakness. This is akrasia incontinence. Happens in real life.
4. Vice. The person acts without regret of his bad actions.

What does Aristotle mean by "fully virtuous"? Ethical strength is not virtue in the full sense of the term. Ethical weakness is not a full vice either. This is the critique against Socrates idea that "Knowledge equals virtue." No one can knowingly do the wrong thing. Thus, Socrates denies appetites and desires. Aristotle understands that people do things that they know are wrong, Socrates denies this. Socrates says if you know the right thing you will do it, Aristotle disagrees. The law is the social mechanism for numbers 2, 3, 4. A truly virtuous person is their own moral compass.

I recommend Aristotle's works to anyone interested in obtaining a classical education, and those interested in philosophy. Aristotle is one of the most important philosophers and the standard that all others must be judged by.

This Oxford translation of Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics is the work of Sarah Broadie and Christopher Rowe. It's easy to pass over since Amazon doesn't have a cover-photo nor any product description, but it should be one of the first translations you consider getting of the Ethics.

The translation is proceded by an 80-page 'philosophical introduction' by Broadie that is superb. She does a good job explicating the Ethics in a reasonable and general way, given a lot of the dispute over the most basic analytic concepts in the literature (for instance the inclusive-dominant debate over eudaimonia). The introduction alone will make it essential for anyone trying to write on the Ethics while giving an overall view of scholarship out there.

The translation itself is very readable, with large print and the proper citations in the column.

Watch out for editions that don't include those, they are usually useless. For instance, Barnes & Noble bought the rights to an edition of the Ethics (one not available on Amazon for obvious reasons) and produced it in a paperback form. It doesn't have the numeric sections accompanying the text, though, and the translation itself is simply a reprint of a fifth edition translation from the 1890s (if an author felt he had to do five editions in ten years, simply spitting it out again 100 years later is a travesty).

A lot of work on the Ethics cites the Barnes collection, and I think it is useful to read this translation side-by-side with that one. My biggest objection is in how this Oxford edition translates "phronesis" and "sophia." The distinction between these two types of knowledge are crucial in understanding Aristotle's ethics. "Phronesis" is usually translated as 'practical wisdom,' and sometimes as 'prudence.' "Sophia" is usually translated 'knowledge.' In this translation "phronesis" is translated as 'wisdom' and "sophia" is translated as 'intellectual accomplishment.' It is very important to keep that in mind when you are reading the text, and if you are interested in Aristotle's discussions of prudential excellence. Anytime 'wisdom' appears in this text, Aristotle is talking specifically about practical wisdom/phronesis, and likewise with 'intellectual accomplishment.' Any apparent vagueness on this note is due to the translation, and frankly I'm surprised they decided to do that. Luckily I read Broadie's introduction, which mentions this on page 46, or else I might have been confused about this later on. Thus, one needs to be very aware that 'wisdom' in this translation is being referred to as a very specific kind of wisdom, namely the ability to reason practically. Not taking this into account will lead to some erroneous interpretations, I believe, and will make some of the discussions in the secondary sources seem confusing and obscure when they don't need to.

Part 3 of the translation is the line-by-line commentary, another commendable quality of this translation that makes it essential. They even do things like chart out the disposition as well as provide useful cross-references. A useful glossary in the back is also helpful, in fact probably essential to deal with any translation confusions like the one I outline above, especially if you are trying to compare translations. There is also a brief topical bibliography of select works as well, and they separate the index into names and subjects.

Overall, this is a great edition. Very well though out, very very useful to the student of Aristotle.

Aristotle was a philosopher in search of the chief good for human beings. This chief good is eudaimonia, which is often translated as 'happiness' (but can also be translated as 'thriving' or 'flourishing'). Aristotle sees pleasure, honour and virtue as significant 'wants' for people, and then argues that virtue is the most important of these.

In the Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle makes the claim that happiness is something which is both precious and final. This seems to be so because it is a first principle or ultimate starting point. For, it is for the sake of happiness that we do everything else, and we regard the cause of all good things to be precious and divine. Moreover, since happiness is an activity of the soul in accordance with complete and perfect virtue, it is necessary to consider virtue, as this will be the best way of studying happiness.

How many of us today speak of happiness and virtue in the same breath? Aristotle's work in the Nicomachean Ethics is considered one of his greatest achievements, and by extension, one of the greatest pieces of philosophy from the ancient world. When the framers of the American Declaration of Independence were thinking of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, there is little doubt they had an acquaintance with Aristotle's work connecting happiness, virtue, and ethics together.

When one thinks of ethical ideas such as an avoidance of extremes, of taking the tolerant or middle ground, or of taking all things in moderation, one is tapping into Aristotle's ideas. It is in the Nicomachean Ethics that Aristotle proposes the Doctrine of the Mean - he states that virtue is a 'mean state', that is, it aims for the mean or middle ground. However, Aristotle is often misquoted and misinterpreted here, for he very quickly in the text disallows the idea of the mean to be applied in all cases. There are things, actions and emotions, that do not allow the mean state. Thus, Aristotle tends to view virtue as a relative state, making the analogy with food - for some, two pounds of meat might be too much food, but for others, it might be too little. The mean exists between the state of deficiency, too little, and excessiveness, too much.

Aristotle proposes many different examples of virtues and vices, together with their mean states. With regard to money, being stingy and being illiberal with generosity are the extremes, the one deficient and the other excessive. The mean state here would be liberality and generosity, a willingness to buy and to give, but not to extremes. Anger, too, is highlighted as having a deficient state (too much passivity), an excessive state (too much passion) and a mean state (a gentleness but firmness with regard to emotions).

Aristotle states that one of the difficulties with leading a virtuous life is that it takes a person of science to find the mean between the extremes (or, in some cases, Aristotle uses the image of a circle, the scientist finding the centre). Many of us, being imperfect humans, err on one side or the other, choosing in Aristotle's words, the lesser of two evils. Aristotle's wording here, that a scientist is the only one fully capable of virtue, has a different meaning for scientist - this is a pre-modern, pre-Enlightenment view; for Aristotle, the person of science is one who is capable of observation and calculation, and this can take many different forms.

Aristotle uses different kinds of argumentation in the Nicomachean Ethics. He uses a dialectical method, as well as a functional method. In the dialectical method, there are opposing ideas held in tension, whose interactions against each other yield a result - this is often how the mean between extremes is derived. However, there are other times that Aristotle seems to prefer a more direct, functional approach. Both of these methods lead to the same understanding for Aristotle's sense of the rational - that humanity's highest or final good is happiness.

There is a discussion of the human soul (for this is where virtue and happiness reside). Aristotle argues that virtue is not a natural state; we are not born with nor do we acquire through any natural processes virtue, but rather through 'habitation', an embedding process or enculturation that makes these a part of our soul. However, it is not sufficient for Aristotle's virtue that one merely function as a virtuous person or that virtuous things be done. This is not a skill, but rather an art, and to be virtuous, one must live virtuously and act virtuously with intention as well as form.

Of course, one of the implications here is that virtue is a quantifiable thing, that periodically resurfaces in later philosophies. How do we calculate virtue?

This is a difficult question, and not one that Aristotle answers in any definitive way. However, more important than this is the key difference that Aristotle displayed setting himself apart from his tutor Plato; rather than seeing the possession of 'the good' or 'virtue' as the highest ideal, Aristotle is concerned with the practical aspects, the ethics of this. Based on Aristotle's lectures in Athens in the fourth century BCE, this remains one of the most important works on ethical and moral philosophy in history.

I admit that I have not personally seen this book yet, but I posted a query about translations of the Ethics on the Philosop internet list, and the majority of respondents (university professors) favored Sarah Broadie and Christopher Rowe's translation, which includes an extensive and useful commentary, over all others.