The Political Writings: Selected Aphorisms and Other Texts (Agora Editions)
"Charles Butterworth has rendered a service both timely and timeless in his meticulous yet highly readable translations of four texts by a thinker second to none. . . . Butterworth here provides insightful introductions and impeccable translations."—Christopher A. Colmo, The Review of Politics, Spring 2002"At last, a wider English-speaking audience will gain access to the riches contained in Alfarabi's political philosophy. Not that our appetite has not already been whether by Muhsin Mahdi's authoritative translation of the Philosophy of Plato and Aristotle (the Trilogy), which we can be grateful to Cornell University Press for reissuing in revised form shortly after issuing the present volume. . . . As always, Butterworth walks the fine line between literalness and readability with extraordinary grace, making this volume of equal value to scholar and student alike. He also offers introductions to each work that exemplify this same balance. For the scholar, he describes the manuscripts consulted and justifies our conviction that at last we have a trustworthy translation based on a critical Arabic text. For the student, as well as the scholar, and, above all, the teacher, he offers concise, insightful introduction to these challenging works. These introductions are a great boon in the classroom; each introduction leads the reader to raise the relevant questions to begin to unlock the secrets within. In the footnotes, Butterworth strikes the same balance, drawing the scholar's attention to alternate manuscript readings and translations while offering crucial pieces of information and insight, especially valuable to the novice."—Joshua S. Parens, University of Dallas, Journal of the American Oriental Society 123.1, 2003