Loving Freedom
Aristotle on Slavery and the Good Life
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6345200 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Russell Bentley (University of Southampton, corresponding author) |
| Year | 1999 |
| Volume | 47 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 100-113 |
| Publication date | 1999-03-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Political Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0032-3217 • E-ISSN: 1467-9248 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1111/1467-9248.00190 |
| OpenAlex | W2107892687 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 4 |
Most commentators on Aristotle's theory of natural slavery locate the source of slavishness in an intellectual deficiency that Aristotle describes. This paper sets out to show that Aristotle's natural slaves are not intellectually deficient in the way normally assumed, but are lacking an emotional faculty, thymos, which Aristotle connects to actual enslavement through its power to generate a love of freedom. It is also argued that Aristotle's understanding of slavishness entails a risk for a democratic regime, such as Classical Athens, since such a system has highly inclusive criteria for membership in the political association. Commentators have also failed to connect natural slavery to Aristotle's ethical thought and to note the theory's practical relevance to the goal of living a good human life
Democracy · Epistemology · Natural (archaeology · Political philosophy · Political science · Politics · Power (physics · Relevance (law · Sociology · History · Islamic Studies and History · Law · Philosophy · Political Philosophy and Ethics · Religion and Society Interactions
| Citations per year | 0.4 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2016 - 2025 (10) |
| Highly cited | No |