Natural capacities and democracy as a good-in-itself

Philosophical Studies 132 (1):59 - 73 (2007)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

Democracy is shown to be a non-instrumental good-in-itself (as well as an instrument in securing other goods) by extrapolation from the Aristotelian premise that humans are political animals. Because humans are by nature language-using, as well as sociable and common-end-seeking beings, the capacity to associate in public decisions is constitutive of the human being-kind. Association in decision is necessary (although insufficient) for happiness in the sense of eudaimonia. A benevolent dictator who satisfied all other conditions of justice, harms her subjects by denying them opportunity to associate in the decisions by which their community is governed.

Links

PhilArchive



    Upload a copy of this work     Papers currently archived: 90,616

External links

Setup an account with your affiliations in order to access resources via your University's proxy server

Through your library

Similar books and articles

Democracy despite voter ignorance: A Weberian reply to Somin and Friedman.David Ciepley - 1999 - Critical Review: A Journal of Politics and Society 13 (1-2):191-227.
The Phenomenology of Democracy.Robert Keith Shaw - 2009 - Policy Futures in Education 7 (3):340-348.
The Move from Good to Ought in Environmental Ethics.John Nolt - 2006 - Environmental Ethics 28 (4):355-374.
Why Early Confucianism Cannot Generate Democracy.David Elstein - 2010 - Dao: A Journal of Comparative Philosophy 9 (4):427-443.
Killing humans and killing animals.Peter Singer - 1979 - Inquiry: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Philosophy 22 (1-4):145 – 156.

Analytics

Added to PP
2009-01-28

Downloads
50 (#282,559)

6 months
3 (#445,838)

Historical graph of downloads
How can I increase my downloads?

Author's Profile

Josiah Ober
Stanford University

Citations of this work

The enfranchisement lottery.Claudio López-Guerra - 2011 - Politics, Philosophy and Economics 10 (2):211-233.
The Epistemic Aims of Democracy.Robert Weston Siscoe - 2023 - Philosophy Compass 18 (11):e12941.
Recollecting Athens.Ryan K. Balot - 2016 - Polis 33 (1):92-129.
Political Knowledge and Right-Sizing Government.Josiah Ober - 2015 - Critical Review: A Journal of Politics and Society 27 (3-4):362-374.

Add more citations

References found in this work

Republicanism: a theory of freedom and government.Philip Pettit (ed.) - 1997 - New York: Oxford University Press.
Republicanism.Philip Pettit - 2000 - Mind 109 (435):640-644.
Liberty before Liberalism.Quentin Skinner - 2001 - Tijdschrift Voor Filosofie 63 (1):172-175.
Aristotle on the Human Good.Richard Kraut - 1989 - Princeton University Press.
Aristotle on the Human Good.Richard KRAUT - 1989 - Ethics 101 (2):382-391.

View all 17 references / Add more references