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Family Matters: Aristotle's Appreciation of Women and the Plural Structure of Society

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 2014

Darrell Dobbs
Darrell Dobbs*
Affiliation:
Marquette University
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Abstract

Aristotle is no misogynist, but the way this charge is answered can skew the understanding of his political theory as a whole. Those who dismiss the charge of misogyny on grounds that Aristotle covertly advocates women's participation in civic affairs tend to obscure the leading thesis of the Politics, namely, that polis and household differ in kind, not merely in number. I argue that Aristotle condones the exclusion of women from civic affairs because this practice conforms to the natural complementarity of the sexes and because it fortifies the naturally pluralistic structure of society. By securing these underpinnings, Aristotle frames a constitution that best supports women and men in their pursuit of human excellence.

Type
Articles
Information
American Political Science Review , Volume 90 , Issue 1 , March 1996 , pp. 74 - 89
Copyright
Copyright © American Political Science Association 1996

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