Aristotle's Politics Today

Examines the implications of Aristotle's political thought for contemporary political theory.

According to Aristotle, man's essential sociality implies a distinctive conception of politics, one in which all political associations exist for the sake of the moral perfection of human beings. This stands in sharp contrast with the modern view of politics that man is not "by nature" political; rather, man chooses to create political associations for the sake of securing the protection of his life and property. Many political theorists have begun to express doubts about this modern view, calling for a return to Aristotle's vision of a politics that is deeply moral. In Aristotle's Politics Today, distinguished political philosophers representing a diversity of approaches examine the meaning, relevance, and implications of Aristotle's political thought for contemporary social and political theory. The contributors engage a broad range of topics, including Aristotle's views on constitutionalism, the extension of Aristotelian ideas to issues in international relations, the place of Aristotelian virtue in modern democratic politics, and Aristotle's conception of justice.

Lenn E. Goodman is Professor of Philosophy and Andrew W. Mellon Professor in the Humanities at Vanderbilt University. He is the author or editor of many books, including Jewish Themes in Spinoza's Philosophy (coedited with Heidi M. Ravven); Maimonides and His Heritage (coedited with Idit Dobbs-Weinstein and James Allen Grady); and Neoplatonism and Jewish Thought, all published by SUNY Press. Robert B. Talisse is Associate Professor of Philosophy and Political Science at Vanderbilt University and the author of several books, including Democracy After Liberalism: Pragmatism and Deliberative Politics.