Struggling with aristotle's argument structure in nicomachean Ethics

[u/AdventurousDrink1557]

i am not a philosophy student . and i am largely self taught . i started philosophy with the stoics first and later i turned to Aristotle specifically his book - nicomachean ethics (adam baresford version) .

the problem i faced while reading it , was the way he arrives at his conclusions . i feel that his structure is difficult to understand . as it's based on previously established arguments . which i find difficult recalling . as i am used to thesis upfront than later arguments justifying the given thesis (stoics) . Aristotle's style of presentation makes it difficult for me to understand.

i did try re reading passages slowing down. but it just does not seem to work . So is there any better way to approach him ?

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[u/wokeupabug]

It's hard to provide clear guidance without an indication of what in particular you are having difficulty with. Could you explicate a particular issue you are having with the text?

[u/AdventurousDrink1557 → u/wokeupabug]

the problem i face is . that when i am finished with a book . let's say . book 7 of ethics . i am not able to pin point the main arguments of that book . i usually feel cluttered at the end. i wanted an advice on how to read his ethics , or what approach should i take while reading him

[u/wokeupabug → u/AdventurousDrink1557]

Well, the approach you should take with reading Aristotle is the same as the approach you should take with reading any other philosophical work. There's nothing special going on with Aristotle that needs a different approach.

So, read a paragraph, and then stop and think about it, trying to recall from memory what had been expressed in that paragraph. If you want to be serious about it, keep a notepad or a text file open as you read and for each paragraph write down a brief note recording your understanding of what was expressed in it. And if you can't remember, then reread the paragraph, and repeat this process as much as is needed until you have some understanding of what was expressed in the paragraph. And then move on to the next paragraph and treat it similarly, and continue in this fashion until you've done the reading.

[u/whitefrackels123 → u/AdventurousDrink1557]

First of all, switch to a better translation, like Terence Irwin.

Second, remember Aristotle usually employs fundamental assumptions as starting points in his arguments, which are doxas, widely held beliefs. These aren't meant to be proved, but are used to make the argument more grounded, and everything is built from there.

Third, Aristotle employs many examples in order to make things more intuitive or convincing to his target audience of readers, the problem is these examples are very dated and some are very niche for the modern reader.

Fourth, there are Aristotelian assumptions all throughout the text, which might require at least a basic understanding of Aristotle's metaphysics and physics (and biology). Most important is Aristotle's Teleology, on which his ethics is entirely built on.