Aristotle's Political Terminology and its Importance for Political Science

• In Event: Terminology, Rhetoric, and Influence: Aristotle and Plato

Abstract

A forthcoming book considers Aristotle’s political terminology more comprehensively than has been feasible before by using electronic support and finds that the result suggests the need for reinterpreting some key points in what has been taken to be Aristotle’s political thought, which have been blurred by translations which are less than adequate to Aristotle’s purpose. The items in question include the expressions often rendered by ‘nature’, ‘slave’, ‘property’, ‘constitution’, ‘ideal’, and their cognates. The present paper summarizes the result and explains the technique involved and its importance for political science.

Author

• J.J. Mulhern, University of Pennsylvania