Natural capacities and democracy as a good-in-itself |
| |
Authors: | Josiah Ober |
| |
Affiliation: | (1) Political Science, Stanford University, 100 Encina Hall West, 616 Serra, Stanford, CA 94305-6044, USA |
| |
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. |
| |
Keywords: | Democracy Nature Capacities Justice Happiness Eudaimonia Liberty Participation |
本文献已被 SpringerLink 等数据库收录! |
|