Aristotle Beyond the Academy in Britain and Ireland 1660-1922

This book explores the questions of when, where, how and why Aristotle has appeared in England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales since the Restoration in 1660, through to Irish Independence in 1922.

The primary focus is on ethics and politics, natural science, and rhetoric and the arts. Chapters explore the impact of specific events in the history of Aristotelian reception over this period, taking the reader thematically on a journey through Aristotle’s diverse academic interests. The authors argue that Aristotle's authority has been omnipresent but never monolithic: it has been vigorously contested. This giant of western culture has by no means been used uniformly to reinforce established authority or symbolise Catholic conservatives; he has equally been adopted by radicals and progressives. Aristotle’s authority has been invoked by apologists for absolute monarchy and by Chartist revolutionaries; by patriarchal opponents of women’s rights and by suffrage activists; by apologists for slavery and by advocates of universal suffrage; by critics of stage censorship and by its advocates; by Deists questioning God’s involvement in human affairs and Roman Catholics insisting upon it. This volume explores all these various interpretations, appropriations and adaptations of his work.

This fascinating study appeals not only to students and scholars of classics and philosophy, but also to specialists in British and Irish early modern and modern history, popular culture, political and intellectual history, as well as those studying the history of science, sexuality, and rhetoric.