The "Politics," Aristotle's classic work on the nature of political community, has been a touchstone of Western debates about society and government. In this volume, Peter Simpson presents a complete philosophical commentary on the "Politics," an analysis of the logical structure of the entire text and each of its constitutive arguments and conclusions. Unlike other contemporary works on the "Politics," Simpson's philosophical commentary is not, save incidentally, a discussion of philological and historical questions, a speculative elaboration of Aristotle's arguments, or a comparison of the philosopher's ideas with those of other ancient and modern theorists. Such treatments, argues Simpson, must be grounded in a thorough understanding of the philosophical content of the work--a point that underscores the need for this thorough and accurate analysis. Keyed to the ancient Greek text as well as to Simpson's own innovative translation of it (UNC Press, 1997), this book will stand as a valuable commentary on the philosophical argument in the "Politics" and will serve as a sound basis for future study of Aristotle's political thought."A 'must read' for scholars of the "Politics."--"Choice""The entire edition is marked by a dashing boldness of judgment, and by confidence of tone and argumentation.--"Polis""The commentary has many attractive features for the reader of Aristotle. All Greek is transliterated, and Bekker numbers are provided for easy cross-reference. Not least, it is written in clear and accessible prose. No reader of Aristotle's "Politics" can ignore this important work.--"Classical World""The Politics," Aristotle's classic work on the nature of political community, has been a touchstone of Western debates about society and government. Here, Peter Simpson presents a thorough analysis of the logical structure of the entire text and each of its constitutive arguments and conclusions. A valuable commentary on the philosophical argument in the "Politics," the book will also serve as a sound basis for future study of Aristotle's political thought.