Aristotle's Children by Richard E. Rubenstein

I recently had to read "Aristotle's Children" by Richard E. Rubenstein for a Medieval Philosophy course at my university. The text was read chapter by chapter throughout the semester, and overall, Rubenstein clearly achieves his goal of outlining the development of Aristotelian thought. Chapters focus on topics such as Aristotle himself, the condemnation of Peter Abelard by St. Bernard, the deep tensions and confrontations between the Franciscans and Dominicans at the University of Paris, St. Thomas Aquinas, the rise of modern Philosophers such as Hobbes, and many others in between these.

While Rubenstein does paint both St. Bernard and another saint in less than saintly light - even portraying them as the antagonists at times, Rubenstein does offer a very easy-to-read and understandable outline of the spread of Aristotelian Philosophy from its origin through its period of being hidden from the Western World and only accessible by the Arabs ultimately up to the time of the modern philosophers. This is a good read for those not accustomed to reading complicated philosophical texts.

If you would like an interesting read and a good guide to the spread of Arisotetlian philosophy, while remembering to remain objective as you read it, then this would be a very good choice.

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