Aristotle on the Nature of Community

Adriel M. Trott reads Aristotle's Politics through the internal cause definition of nature to develop an active and inclusive account of politics.

Adriel M. Trott (Author)

9781316625491, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 22 August 2019

253 pages
23 x 15.2 x 1.4 cm, 0.45 kg

'Trott's Aristotle on the Nature of Community is a thought-provoking book that hopefully will encourage debate not only among Aristotelian scholars but also among contemporary political thinkers about questions of citizenship, democracy, and political life. Her work provides a blueprint of how to make Aristotle relevant in today's world in addressing existing problems like political organization, civic participation, and the purpose of politics itself.' Lee Trepanier, Bryn Mawr Classical Review

This reading of Aristotle's Politics builds on the insight that the history of political philosophy is a series of configurations of nature and reason. Aristotle's conceptualization of nature is unique because it is not opposed to or subordinated to reason. Adriel M. Trott uses Aristotle's definition of nature as an internal source of movement to argue that he viewed community as something that arises from the activity that forms it rather than being a form imposed on individuals. Using these definitions, Trott develops readings of Aristotle's four arguments for the naturalness of the polis, interprets deliberation and the constitution in Politics as the form and final causes of the polis, and reconsiders Aristotle's treatment of slaves and women. Trott then argues that Aristotle is relevant for contemporary efforts to improve and encourage genuine democratic practices.

1. The internal principle of change interpretation of nature
2. The four arguments for the naturalness of the polis
3. Logos and the political nature of anthropos
4. The natural rational human and the natural rational polis
5. Deliberation and constitution
6. Natural slaves and silent women: the case for political rule as deliberation.

Subject Areas: Political science & theory [JPA], History of ideas [JFCX], Social & political philosophy [HPS], Western philosophy: Ancient, to c 500 [HPCA], Philosophy [HP]