‘Not Slavery, but Salvation’

What is it about?

This essay argues that Aristotle presents an account of community life that equates government with the whole community instead of making government a separate body prone to oppress those who are governed. In this way the constitution or established laws and mores of a community are not oppressive but the source of freedom. I make the argument by considering at length Aristotle's critique of democracy that wishes to do without law entirely.

Featured Image

Why is it important?

This argument is timely as a way of criticizing government that has become a separate entity with its own investments instead of equal to the community it governs. The article also offers a way to understand references to the constitution not as references to a dead letter but to those who constitute the community. For Aristotle scholars, this argument shows ways that Aristotle is supportive of a kind of democracy and a way of understanding the rule of law that remains concerned with how law can be a tool of oppression.