Aristotle's Best Regime - Kingship, Democracy and the Rule of Law

Informationen zum Autor A native of Rhode Island, Clifford Angell Bates, Jr., is lecturer at the Institute of International Relations and the American Studies Center of Warsaw University in Poland. Klappentext The collapse of the Soviet Union and other Marxist regimes around the world seems to have left liberal democracy as the only surviving ideology, and yet many scholars of political thought still find liberal democracy objectionable. This analysis of Book 3 of Aristotle's "Politics" challenges these scholars, demonstrating that Aristotle was actually a defender of democracy. Proving the relevance of classical political philosophy to modern democratic problems, this work argues that Aristotle not only defends popular rule but suggests that democracy, restrained by the rule of law, is the best form of government. It explains why Aristotle's is a sound position between two extremes - participatory democracy, which romanticizes the people, and elite theory, which underrates them. Its interpretation rests on approaches to reading Book 3 - which it deems vital to understanding all of Aristotle's "Politics". Examining the work in the original Greek as well as in translation, it addresses the questions of the historical Aristotle versus the posited Aristotle, the genre and structure of the text, and both the theoretical and dialogic nature of the work. Zusammenfassung The collapse of the Soviet Union and other Marxist regimes seems to have left liberal democracy as the only surviving ideology. Yet many scholars of political thought still find liberal democracy objectionable, using Aristotle to support their views. Clifford Angell Bates challenges this, demonstrating that Aristotle was a defender of democracy.

Product details

• Authors: Clifford A Bates, Clifford A. Bates, Clifford Angell Bates, Clifford A. Bates Jr
• Publisher: Louisiana state univ pr
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 01.01.2003
• EAN: 9780807128336
• ISBN: 978-0-8071-2833-6
• No. of pages: 248
• Dimensions: 146 mm x 222 mm x 19 mm
• Series: Political Traditions in Foreig; Political Traditions in Foreig; Political Traditions in Foreign Policy Series
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Philosophy > General, dictionaries; Non-fiction book > Philosophy, religion > Philosophy: antiquity to present day; Social sciences, law, business > Political science > Political science and political education