Political Dissent in Democratic Athens: Intellectual Critics of Popular Rule
Νοε 2011 · Princeton University Press
ebook
440
Σελίδες
family_home
Κατάλληλο
info
reportΟι αξιολογήσεις και οι κριτικές δεν επαληθεύονται Μάθετε περισσότερα
Σχετικά με το ebook
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.
Σχετικά με τον συγγραφέα
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.
Αξιολογήστε αυτό το ebook
Πείτε μας τη γνώμη σας.
Πληροφορίες ανάγνωσης
Smartphone και tablet
Εγκαταστήστε την εφαρμογή Βιβλία Google Play για Android και iPad/iPhone. Συγχρονίζεται αυτόματα με τον λογαριασμό σας και σας επιτρέπει να διαβάζετε στο διαδίκτυο ή εκτός σύνδεσης, όπου κι αν βρίσκεστε.
Φορητοί και επιτραπέζιοι υπολογιστές
Μπορείτε να ακούσετε ηχητικά βιβλία τα οποία αγοράσατε στο Google Play, χρησιμοποιώντας το πρόγραμμα περιήγησης στον ιστό του υπολογιστή σας.
eReader και άλλες συσκευές
Για να διαβάσετε περιεχόμενο σε συσκευές e-ink, όπως είναι οι συσκευές Kobo eReader, θα χρειαστεί να κατεβάσετε ένα αρχείο και να το μεταφέρετε στη συσκευή σας. Ακολουθήστε τις αναλυτικές οδηγίες του Κέντρου βοήθειας για να μεταφέρετε αρχεία σε υποστηριζόμενα eReader.
