The Public and the Private in Aristotle's Political Philosophy

Front matter

The Public and the Private in Aristotle’s Political Philosophy

Judith A. Swanson

THE PUBLIC AND THE PRIVATE IN ARISTOTLE’S POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY

Contents

Acknowledgments xi A Note on Translations and Texts xiii Introduction 1

1 The Household: A Private Source of Public Morality On the Relation between the Household and the City 11

The Household’s Contribution to Virtue 16 The Means to Virtue: Rule 17 The Aim of Household Rule: Virtuous Individuals 18 Teaching Moderation 19 Teaching Judgment 21 Affection 25 Friendship and Justice in the Household 27

Index

174 180 184 187

193 198 202 204

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Most helpful in the production of this book were the comments provided by the then anonymous readers selected by Cornell University Press. Thomas L. Pangle’s remarks compelled me to revise some of my arguments. David R. Lachterman suggested that I respond to several particular interpretations; as a result the book addresses issues it might not have otherwise. I am grateful to both for their suggestions. A first, very different draft was read by Joseph Cropsey, who also read a late draft of the Introduction; by Nathan Tarcov and Russell Hardin; and by Ian Shapiro, who also read a subsequent version of Chapter 4. Mary P. Nichols gave useful comments on a draft of Chapter 2. Research assistance was provided by Michael Jones, Susanne Klepper, and Lisa Toland. For introducing me to political philosophy, I acknowledge in particular Timothy Fuller, the late Michael Oakeshott, and Joseph Cropsey.

An Earhart Foundation Fellowship and a Josephine de Karman Fellowship from the Aerojet-General Corporation enabled me to begin the manuscript that evolved into this book; a lectureship in the Department of Political Science, Yale University, enabled me to write a draft; teaching seminars on Aristotle at Yale, the University of Georgia, and Boston University gave opportunity for reflection; a Boston University Faculty Research Grant helped me to complete the book. Except for the arguments I explicitly credit to others, the interpretation is my own.

J. A. S.

xi

A NOTE ON TRANSLATIONS AND TEXTS

I have translated portions of Aristotle’s Politics from the text edited by Alois Dreizehnter, consulting the translations of Ernest Barker, Carnes Lord, W. L. Newman, and H. Rackham. In translating from the Nicomachean Ethics I used the text edited by Franciscus Susemihl and consulted the translations of Terence Irwin, H. Rackham, and W. D. Ross. My translations- of Aristotle’s other works were generally from the texts provided by the Loeb editions; I consulted the Loeb translations and those of the Clarendon Aristotle Series. For full and specific references, see the Bibliography. Any emphasis in quotations of Aristotle is mine. Quotations of Plato’s Republic and the Laws are from Allan Bloom’s translation (New York: Basic Books, 1968) and Thomas L. Pangle’s translation (New York: Basic Books, 1980), respectively. Translations of commentary in French are my own. The quotation from Joachim Ritter’s Metaphysik und Politik in the Appendix, “Premises of Interpretation,” was translated with help from a Berlitz Language Center.

I use the following abbreviations for Aristotle’s works:

AC The Athenian Constitution DA On the Soul (De Anima) EE Eudemian Ethics

GA Generation of Animals HA Historia Animalium

Met Metaphysics xiii xiv TRANSLATIONS AND TEXTS

MM Magna Moralia

NE Nicomachean Ethics Oec Oeconomica

PA Parts of Animals

Ph Physics

Pol Politics

Rh The “Art” of Rhetoric Top Topics

References to Aristotle’s texts are to the Bekker line numbers as found in Dreizehnter’s edition of the Politics, Susemihl’s edition of the Nicomachean Ethics, and the Loeb editions of other works. I also refer to the chapter and section divisions found in the same editions. References appear in order of importance; clusters of references are intended to be considered together (though some numbers may refer to the same point).

THE PUBLIC AND THE PRIVATE IN ARISTOTLE’S POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY