La Poetica vs Nicomachean Ethics: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Aristotle, Ethics, Early works to 1800, Philosophy
La Poetica
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Few, if any, writers in history have made major contributions to as many fields of knowledge as Aristotle... 'If there are two definitive features of ancient Greek civilization,' writes Hugh Lawson-Tancred in his…
Nicomachean Ethics
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An detailed examination of what the best life might be for human beings. In order to anwer this question, Aristotle finds he also has to examine what virtue itself is and all of the various virtues that might make up…
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- Nicomachean Ethics is the quickest read — about 3 hours vs 8 for La Poetica.
- La Poetica has the widest readership — 30778 ratings behind its score.
- La Poetica runs the darker storyline; Nicomachean Ethics stays the lighter read.
How to choose
Scores by source
| La Poetica | Nicomachean Ethics | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.8 (30778) | 3.6 (78) |
| Hardcover | — | 3.9 (101) |
| Apple Books | — | 5.0 (6) |
Reception
| La Poetica | Nicomachean Ethics | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 30778 | 101 |
| Editions | 498 | 416 |
| Citations | — | 3782 |
| Film adaptations | — | 1 |
| Want to read | 41458 | 346 |
| Reading it now | 2422 | 14 |
| Written reviews | 2243 | 5 |
| Wikipedia attention | — | 12817 |
| Pages | 445 | 165 |
Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: La Poetica or Nicomachean Ethics?
Nicomachean Ethics has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Nicomachean Ethics 3.8/5, La Poetica 3.8/5).
Which is shorter to read: La Poetica or Nicomachean Ethics?
Nicomachean Ethics is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Nicomachean Ethics (165 pages, ≈ 3 h 03 m); La Poetica (445 pages, ≈ 8 h 14 m).
Which is harder to read: La Poetica or Nicomachean Ethics?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — La Poetica: Demanding; Nicomachean Ethics: Demanding.