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, using Aristotle's
Politics to support their views. In this detailed analysis of Book
3 of Aristotle's work, Clifford Angell Bates, Jr., challenges these
scholars, demonstrating that Aristotle was actually a defender of
democracy.
Proving the relevance of classical political philosophy to
modern democratic problems, Bates argues that Aristotle not only
defends popular rule but suggests that democracy, restrained by the
rule of law, is the best form of government. According to
Aristotle, because human beings are naturally sociable, democracy
is the regime that best helps man reach his potential; and because
of human nature, it is inevitable democracies will prevail.
Bates explains why Aristotle's is a sound position between two
extremes -- participatory democracy, which romanticizes the people,
and elite theory, which underrates them. Aristotle, he shows, sees
the people as they really are and nevertheless believes their
self-rule, under law, is ultimately better than all competing
forms. However, the philosopher does not believe democracy should
be imposed universally. It must arise out of the given cultural,
environmental, and historical traditions of a people or its will
fall into tyranny.
Bates's fresh interpretation rests on innovative approaches to
reading Book 3 -- which he deems vital to understanding all of
Aristotle's Politics. Examining the work in the original Greek as
well as in translation, he addresses questions about the historical
Aristotle versus the posited Aristotle, the genre and structure of
the text, and both the theoretical and the dialogic nature of the
work. Carting Aristotle's rhetorical strategies, Bates shows that
Book 3 is not simply a treatise but a series of dialogues that
develop a nuanced defense of democratic rule.
Bates's accessible and faithful exposition of Aristotle's work
confirms that the philosopher's teachings are not merely of
historical interest but speak directly to liberal democracy's
current crisis of self-understanding.
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