Aristotle
Democracy and Political Science
Delba Winthrop
- Today,
- democracy
- is
- seen
- as
- the
- best
- or
- even
- the
- only
- legitimate
- form
- of
- government—hardly
- in
- need
- of
- defense.
- Delba
- Winthrop
- punctures
- this
- complacency
- and
- takes
- up
- the
- challenge
- of
- justifying
- democracy
- through
- Aristotle’s
- political
- science.
- In
- Aristotle’s
- time
- and
- in
- ours,
- democrats
- want
- inclusiveness;
- they
- want
- above
- all
- to
- include
- everyone
- a
- part
- of
- a
- whole.
- But
- what
- makes
- a
- whole?
- This
- is
- a
- question
- for
- both
- politics
- and
- philosophy,
- and
- Winthrop
- shows
- that
- Aristotle
- pursues
- the
- answer
- in
- the
- Politics.
- She
- uncovers
- in
- his
- political
- science
- the
- insights
- philosophy
- brings
- to
- politics
- and,
- especially,
- the
- insights
- politics
- brings
- to
- philosophy.
- Through
- her
- appreciation
- of
- this
- dual
- purpose
- and
- skilled
- execution
- of
- her
- argument,
- Winthrop’s
- discoveries
- are
- profound.
- Central
- to
- politics,
- she
- maintains,
- is
- the
- quality
- of
- assertiveness—the
- kind
- of
- speech
- that
- demands
- to
- be
- heard.
- Aristotle,
- she
- shows
- for
- the
- first
- time,
- carries
- assertive
- speech
- into
- philosophy,
- when
- human
- reason
- claims
- its
- due
- as
- a
- contribution
- to
- the
- universe.
- Political
- science
- gets
- the
- high
- role
- of
- teacher
- to
- ordinary
- folk
- in
- democracy
- and
- to
- the
- few
- who
- want
- to
- understand
- what
- sustains
- it.This
- posthumous
- publication
- is
- more
- than
- an
- honor
- to
- Delba
- Winthrop’s
- memory.
- It
- is
- a
- gift
- to
- partisans
- of
- democracy,
- advocates
- of
- justice,
- and
- students
- of Aristotle.
pro-mbooks3 : libris
