The Appropriation of Aristotle in the Liberal-Communitarian Debate

About this book

In this book, Eleni Leontsini examines the debate between so-called communitarian philosophers such as Alasdair MacIntyre, Michael Sandel, Michael Walzer and Charles Taylor, and those who support forms of liberal individualism such as that found in Rawls’s Theory of Justice. Her original and illuminating account of this debate focuses on the ways in which both sides have tried to appropriate the political and moral thought of Aristotle. She offers an analysis of six key concepts –community, teleology, happiness, justice, friendship, and liberty– which play a leading role in both communitarian and liberal political philosophy and are also central to Aristotle’s account. She argues that neither the communitarian nor the liberal appropriations do justice to Aristotle’s political theory. Both attribute their own aspirations to the Aristotelian text and rely on Aristotle’s authority in order to substantiate their arguments. Not surprisingly it emerges that neither side of the liberal-communitarian debate can claim Aristotle as wholly theirs. Aristotle’s treatment of these issues is extremely complex and finely nuanced, providing a rich account of the relation between human beings and the society to which they belong without suggesting any simple dichotomy between individual and community. By demonstrating that Aristotelian political philosophy is consistent with neither a liberal-individualist nor a communitarian view, Leontsini shows how Aristotle’s own conception of community is bound up with his treatment of more fundamental philosophical questions about human nature and the good life. She also provides a detailed and perceptive discussion of particular issues which are of central importance to political and social philosophy, such as freedom, justice and friendship.