Political Dissent in Democratic Athens: Intellectual Critics of Popular Rule
нов 2011. · Princeton University Press
Е-књига
440
Страница
family_home
Испуњава услове
info
reportОцене и рецензије нису верификоване Сазнајте више
О овој е-књизи
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.
О аутору
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.
Оцените ову е-књигу
Јавите нам своје мишљење.
Информације о читању
Паметни телефони и таблети
Инсталирајте апликацију Google Play књиге за Android и iPad/iPhone. Аутоматски се синхронизује са налогом и омогућава вам да читате онлајн и офлајн где год да се налазите.
Лаптопови и рачунари
Можете да слушате аудио-књиге купљене на Google Play-у помоћу веб-прегледача на рачунару.
Е-читачи и други уређаји
Да бисте читали на уређајима које користе е-мастило, као што су Kobo е-читачи, треба да преузмете фајл и пренесете га на уређај. Пратите детаљна упутства из центра за помоћ да бисте пренели фајлове у подржане е-читаче.
