Chomsky and Aristotle on the Common Good

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BidenPresident

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Aristotle took it for granted that a democracy should be fully participatory (with some notable exceptions, like women and slaves) and that it should aim for the common good. In order to achieve that, it has to ensure relative equality, “moderate and sufficient property” and “lasting prosperity” for everyone.

In other words, Aristotle felt that if you have extremes of poor and rich, you can’t talk seriously about democracy. Any true democracy has to be what we call today a welfare state—actually, an extreme form of one, far beyond anything envisioned in this century. (When I pointed this out at a press conference in Majorca, the
headlines in the Spanish papers read something like, If Aristotle were alive today, he’d be denounced as a dangerous radical. That’s probably true.)


https://1motorcyclist.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/noam-chomsky-2011-how-the-world-works.pdf
 
James Madison, who was no fool, noted the same problem, but
unlike Aristotle, he aimed to reduce democracy rather than poverty.
He believed that the primary goal of government is “to protect the
minority of the opulent against the majority.” As his colleague John
Jay was fond of putting it, “T he people who own the country ought
to govern it.”
 
The OP is just another argument in an attempt to change human nature. Humanity by its nature is not altruistic. To obtain equity among a society where the people in it are not physically, mentally, or otherwise all equal, and resources are less than universally abundant requires forced altruism on that society.

al·tru·ism
[ˈaltro͞oˌizəm]
NOUN
the belief in or practice of disinterested and selfless concern for the well-being of others
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You cannot realistically expect a group of people to always act selflessly, particularly when doing so is not in their own best interests.
 
T. A. Gardner said:
The OP is just another argument in an attempt to change human nature. Humanity by its nature is not altruistic. To obtain equity among a society where the people in it are not physically, mentally, or otherwise all equal, and resources are less than universally abundant requires forced altruism on that society.



You cannot realistically expect a group of people to always act selflessly, particularly when doing so is not in their own best interests.
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Nothing about altruism is in Chomsky or Aristotle.
 
BidenPresident said:
Nothing about altruism is in Chomsky or Aristotle.
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BidenPresident said:
Aristotle took it for granted that a democracy should be fully participatory (with some notable exceptions, like women and slaves) and that it should aim for the common good. In order to achieve that, it has to ensure relative equality, “moderate and sufficient property” and “lasting prosperity” for everyone.

In other words, Aristotle felt that if you have extremes of poor and rich, you can’t talk seriously about democracy. Any true democracy has to be what we call today a welfare state—actually, an extreme form of one, far beyond anything envisioned in this century. (When I pointed this out at a press conference in Majorca, the
headlines in the Spanish papers read something like, If Aristotle were alive today, he’d be denounced as a dangerous radical. That’s probably true.)


https://1motorcyclist.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/noam-chomsky-2011-how-the-world-works.pdf
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You seriously believe that what Chomsky and Aristotle said are 'Current Events'?

Okaaaaay.
 
Those who can and do help pull civilization must be rewarded, they must have more than those who cant, or wont.
 
BidenPresident said:
James Madison, who was no fool, noted the same problem, but
unlike Aristotle, he aimed to reduce democracy rather than poverty.
He believed that the primary goal of government is “to protect the
minority of the opulent against the majority.” As his colleague John
Jay was fond of putting it, “T he people who own the country ought
to govern it.”
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and i'm betting that you have zero idea of why that sentiment existed, am I right?
 
goat said:
Aristotle opposed democracy. Chomsky wants direct democracy. That means Chomsky wants the people to have the final vote on which bills become law.
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Aristotle did not oppose democracy you stupid liar. Chomsky does not want pure direct democracy.
 
BidenPresident said:
Aristotle took it for granted that a democracy should be fully participatory (with some notable exceptions, like women and slaves) and that it should aim for the common good. In order to achieve that, it has to ensure relative equality, “moderate and sufficient property” and “lasting prosperity” for everyone.

In other words, Aristotle felt that if you have extremes of poor and rich, you can’t talk seriously about democracy. Any true democracy has to be what we call today a welfare state—actually, an extreme form of one, far beyond anything envisioned in this century. (When I pointed this out at a press conference in Majorca, the
headlines in the Spanish papers read something like, If Aristotle were alive today, he’d be denounced as a dangerous radical. That’s probably true.)


https://1motorcyclist.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/noam-chomsky-2011-how-the-world-works.pdf
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He was denounced by some leading 20th Century thinkers.
 
BidenPresident said:
Aristotle did not oppose democracy you stupid liar. Chomsky does not want pure direct democracy.
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You need to spend more time on Google to better understand Aristotle's political theory. All the Greek philosophers opposed democracy.
 
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