ARISTOTLE'S <i>POLITICS</i>: THE CITY OF BOOK SEVEN AND THE QUESTION OF IDEOLOGY

Samaras, Thanassis

doi:10.1017/s0009838807000067

Cited by 26 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…43 And since he supported politeia, but not dēmokratia, this would seem very probable; in which case classical Athens is irrelevant, for he certainly took it as an example of dēmokratia, indeed one of the most developed of its kind. 44 It is thus unlikely that Aristotle was thinking of debates in the Athenian assembly. Indeed, he was most likely not thinking of debates in an assembly at all.…”

Section: The Conventional Account and Its Weaknessesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Aristotle on the Virtue of the Multitude

Cammack

2013

Political Theory

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It is generally believed that one argument advanced by Aristotle in favor of the political authority of the multitude is that large groups can make better decisions by pooling their knowledge than individuals or small groups can make alone. This is supported by two analogies, one apparently involving a "potluck dinner" and the other aesthetic judgment. This article suggests that that interpretation of Aristotle's argument is implausible given the historical context and several features of the text. It argues that Aristotle's support for the rule of the multitude rested not on its superior knowledge but rather on his belief that the virtue of individuals can be aggregated and even amplified when they act collectively. This significantly alters our understanding of Aristotle's political thought and presents a powerful alternative to the epistemic defenses of mass political activity popular today.

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Section: The Conventional Account and Its Weaknessesmentioning

confidence: 99%