Description
Book SynopsisConnecting several strands of Aristotle's thought, Zoli Filotas sheds light on one of the axioms of Aristotle's ethics and political philosophy that every community has a ruler and demonstrates its relevance to his ideas on personal relationships.
Aristotle and the Ethics of Difference, Friendship, and Equality reveals a pluralistic theory of rule in Aristotle's thought, tracing it through his corpus and situating it in a discussion among such figures as Gorgias, Xenophon, and Plato. Considering the similarities and differences among various forms of rule, Filotas shows that for Aristotle even virtuous friends must exercise a version of rule akin to that of slaveholders. He also explores why Aristotle distinguishes the hierarchical rule over women from both the mastery of slaves and the political rule exercised by free and equal citizens. In doing so, he argues that natural and social differences among human beings play a complex, and troubling, role in Aristotle's
Trade Review
This engaging, elegant, and persuasive book considers how Aristotle conceived of ‘rule’ both in daily, interpersonal interactions, and in larger political structures, arguing that he thought it was vital to both. Filotas explores important questions concerned with equality, justice and friendship that will resonate with the contemporary reader. * Marguerite Deslauriers, Professor of Philosophy, McGill University, Canada *
Table of Contents
Introduction 1. The Problem of Freedom and Persuasion in the Fifth and Fourth Centuries 2. Admonishment, Slavery, and the Generic Definition of Rule 3. Kinds of Community, Kinds of Rule 4. Political Rule, Equality, and the Good 5. Equalizing Citizens Conclusion Bibliography Index
