Aristotle'S Politics
āMan is a political animal,ā Aristotle asserts near the beginning of the Politics. In this novel reading of one of the foundational texts of political philosophy, Eugene Garver traces the surprising implications of Aristotleās claim and explores the treatiseās relevance to ongoing political concerns. Often dismissed as overly grounded in Aristotleās specific moment in time, in fact the Politics challenges contemporary understandings of human action and allows us to better see ourselves today.
Close examination of Aristotleās treatise, Garver finds, reveals a significant, practical role for philosophy to play in politics. Philosophers present arguments about issuesāsuch as the right and the good, justice and modes of governance, the relation between the good person and the good citizen, and the character of a good lifeāthat politicians must then make appealing to their fellow citizens. Completing Garverās trilogy on Aristotleās unique vision, Aristotleās Politics yields new ways of thinking about ethics and politics, ancient and modern.