Contents
The Challenge of Interpreting Aristotle’s “Lectures”
Aristotle’s Relation to His Historical Context
The Hazard Theorizing Poses to the Rule of Law
Classical vs. Modern Republicanism
The Deficiency of Actual Legislation
The Philosopher’s Trans-Civic Virtue
Chapter One. Book One: The Distinctiveness and Supremacy of the Political
Aristotle’s Polemical Procedure
The Switch in Method
The Naturalness of the City
Introducing the Problematic of Property
The Natural Basis of Slavery
The Critique of Greek and Lawful Slavery
The Natural Art of Acquisition vs. the Unnatural
The Political and the Kingly Art, in the Family
Retrospect and Prospect
Chapter Two. Book Two: Previous Conceptions of the Best Regime
The Critique of Plato
The Critique of Phaleas
The Critique of Hippodamus
Assessing the Most Respectable Greek Regimes
The African Peak of Previous Political Life
Solon’s Athenian Democracy
Chapter Three. Book Three: The Debate over Justice among the Regimes
The Quarrel over Citizenship
The Criterion of the Common Good
How Important Is the Regime?
The Good Man vs. the Serious Citizen
The Impracticality of the Republic of the Virtuous
The Problematic of Humanity’s Political Nature
The Debate over Distributive Justice
Making a Case for Democracy
Political Philosophy Comes to the Fore
Absolute Kingship as the Best Regime?
Another Surprising Transition
Chapter Four. Books Four through Six: Ameliorating Actual Regimes
The New Perspective on the Classification of Regimes
A Revealing Experimental Failure
The Varieties of Democracy and of Oligarchy
The Basic Norm Guiding Statesmen in Democracy and Oligarchy
Actual Aristocracy, Polity, and Tyranny
The Best Practicable Republic
Organizing the Three Governmental Functions
The Destruction and Preservation of Republics
The Destruction and Preservation of Monarchies
The Reconsideration of Democracy and Oligarchy
Chapter Five. Books Seven and Eight: The Simply Best Republic
The Most Choiceworthy Way of Life
The Preconditions of the Best Republic
The Regime Itself
Education
Notes
References
Index of Names