Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Democracy and Oligarchy



The "warrant," to use Toulmin's terminology, that underpins democracy and oligarchy, and places them at odds with one another.

"Democracy arises out of the notion that those who are equal in any respect are equal in all respects; because men are equally free, they claim to be absolutely equal."

"Oligarchy is based on the notion that those who are unequal in one respect are in all respects unequal; being unequal, that is, in property, they suppose themselves to be unequal absolutely."

Aristotle. Politics. Book 9, Part 1

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