One of the most influential works in the history of political theory, Aristotle's Politics is a treatise in practical philosophy, intended to inform legislators and to create the conditions for virtuous and self-sufficient lives for the citizens of a state. In this Companion, distinguished scholars offer new perspectives on the work and its themes. After an opening exploration of the relation between Aristotle's ethics and his politics, the central chapters follow the sequence of the eight books of the Politics, taking up questions such as the role of reason in legitimizing rule, the common good, justice, slavery, private property, citizenship, democracy and deliberation, unity, conflict, law and authority, and education. The closing chapters discuss the interaction between Aristotle's political thought and contemporary democratic theory. The volume will provide a valuable resource for those studying ancient philosophy, classics, and the history of political thought.
Introduction Marguerite Deslauriers and Pierre Destrée; 1. The political character of Aristotle's ethics Dorothea Frede; 2. The rule of reason Fred D. Miller, Jr; 3. Economy and private property Karen Margrethe Nielsen; 4. Natural slavery Pierre Pellegrin (translated by E. Zoli Filotas); 5. Political unity and inequality Marguerite Deslauriers; 6. Civic virtue: citizenship, ostracism, and war Andrés Rosler; 7. The common good Donald Morrison; 8. Natural, ethical, and political justice Marco Zingano; 9. Law, governance, and political obligation Christoph Horn; 10. Claims to rule: the case of the multitude Melissa Lane; 11. Faction Antony Hatzistavrou; 12. Education, leisure and politics Pierre Destrée; 13. Deliberating and acting together Bryan Garsten; 14. Aristotle and Rawls on the common good Richard Kraut; Further reading Thornton Lockwood.
Marguerite Deslauriers is Professor of Philosophy at McGill University, Montréal. She is the author of Aristotle on Definition (2007). Pierre Destrée is Associate Researcher at the Belgian FRS (Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique) and Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Louvain. He has edited several books, including Akrasia in Greek Philosophy (co-edited with Christopher Bobonich, 2007) and Plato and the Poets (co-edited with F.-G. Herrmann, 2011).
Reviews for The Cambridge Companion to Aristotle's Politics
'All of the essays are engagingly written and scholarly ... This is a welcome addition to the Cambridge Companion series and to scholarship on Aristotle.' Choice All of the essays are engagingly written and scholarly ... This is a welcome addition to the Cambridge Companion series and to scholarship on Aristotle. Choice
