Professional Documents
Culture Documents
2, Fall 2013
David M. Ratzan
Oct. 2, 2013
Oct. 2, 2013
(1.2). What is his view of wealth and property and work and economic exchange? Can
these be natural and unnatural, and if so in what way? Cf. NE 1.5, 4.1-2, 5.5. What are
some conclusions that might be drawn from either position? Ultimately, it seems that A.
would exclude a good chunk of what we would call economics from politics: why and
what are the implications of this for politics? (A good question to ask on the eve of a
government shut-down.)
5. We end Book 1 (1.12-13) with a review of the analogies of types of rule with which we
began (1.1). How does his differentiation of the sorts of rule one has over one's slaves,
fellows, wives and children recall what he said of the manner in which one rules oneself
in the NE 1.7, 13?
6. One way of looking at Book 1 is that A. is trying to determine who may properly be said
to be in a political relationship. So, who is it? (Cf. 3.1, 4-5, 12) Who gets excluded
and on what grounds? Not everyone in the world gets to be a citizen of the United
States, or a resident of New York City, or a student at Temple: on what basis do we limit
participation in these communities?
Oct. 2, 2013