Political Dissent in Democratic Athens: Intellectual Critics of Popular Rule
nov 2011. · Princeton University Press
E-knjiga
440
Broj stranica
family_home
Prihvatljiva
info
reportOcjene i recenzije nisu potvrđene Saznajte više
O ovoj e-knjizi
How and why did the Western tradition of political theorizing arise in Athens during the late fifth and fourth centuries B.C.? By interweaving intellectual history with political philosophy and literary analysis, Josiah Ober argues that the tradition originated in a high-stakes debate about democracy. Since elite Greek intellectuals tended to assume that ordinary men were incapable of ruling themselves, the longevity and resilience of Athenian popular rule presented a problem: how to explain the apparent success of a regime "irrationally" based on the inherent wisdom and practical efficacy of decisions made by non-elite citizens? The problem became acute after two oligarchic coups d' tat in the late fifth century B.C. The generosity and statesmanship that democrats showed after regaining political power contrasted starkly with the oligarchs' violence and corruption. Since it was no longer self-evident that "better men" meant "better government," critics of democracy sought new arguments to explain the relationship among politics, ethics, and morality.
Ober offers fresh readings of the political works of Thucydides, Plato, and Aristotle, among others, by placing them in the context of a competitive community of dissident writers. These thinkers struggled against both democratic ideology and intellectual rivals to articulate the best and most influential criticism of popular rule. The competitive Athenian environment stimulated a century of brilliant literary and conceptual innovation. Through Ober's re-creation of an ancient intellectual milieu, early Western political thought emerges not just as a "footnote to Plato," but as a dissident commentary on the first Western democracy.
Ober offers fresh readings of the political works of Thucydides, Plato, and Aristotle, among others, by placing them in the context of a competitive community of dissident writers. These thinkers struggled against both democratic ideology and intellectual rivals to articulate the best and most influential criticism of popular rule. The competitive Athenian environment stimulated a century of brilliant literary and conceptual innovation. Through Ober's re-creation of an ancient intellectual milieu, early Western political thought emerges not just as a "footnote to Plato," but as a dissident commentary on the first Western democracy.
O autoru
Josiah Ober is the David Magie Professor of Ancient History in the Department of Classics at Princeton University. His books include The Athenian Revolution, Mass and Elite in Democratic Athens, and Demokratia (edited with Charles Hedrick). All three books are available from Princeton.
Ocijenite ovu e-knjigu
Recite nam šta mislite.
Informacije o čitanju
Pametni telefoni i tableti
Instalirajte aplikaciju Google Play Knjige za Android i iPad/iPhone uređaje. Aplikacija se automatski sinhronizira s vašim računom i omogućava vam čitanje na mreži ili van nje gdje god da se nalazite.
Laptopi i računari
Audio knjige koje su kupljene na Google Playu možete slušati pomoću web preglednika na vašem računaru.
Elektronički čitači i ostali uređaji
Da čitate na e-ink uređajima kao što su Kobo e-čitači, morat ćete preuzeti fajl i prenijeti ga na uređaj. Pratite detaljne upute Centra za pomoć da prenesete fajlove na podržane e-čitače.
