How did Plato and Aristotle justify slavery?

Sam Gregg, author of On Ordered Liberty, discusses the views that two influential ancient philosophers held regarding human equality and the practice of slavery.
http://www.thebirthoffreedom.com
http://www.acton.org

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• slavery
• freedom
• human
• rights
• equality
• plato
• aristotle
• philosophy
• Acton
• institute

[woods8870]

@1982mockingbird1982 what ever homo

[dbzboxer]

@1982mockingbird1982 i guess you have a point there, we could change yet we don't. I wonder why

[1982mockingbird1982]

@dbzboxer Im not one of those people who believe the end justify the means or that 'survival' is a justification for anything. Its unfortunate that so many lifeforms can not survive without harming another but fortunately humans are not one of these lifeforms. So even tho its not possible for life to sustain itself without harm being caused to lifeforms, its still very possible for humans to survive without delibaratly killing and exploiting animals. Nature may be cruel but humans dont need 2 b

[dbzboxer]

@1982mockingbird1982 if you think that all living things can exist wthout one species using,consuming,or abusing another? then please explain to me how can any life sustain its self..... look at nature (not only humans) if there is a way for one species to take advantage over another there is no restraint no remorse the only thing that stops it is the lesser species ability to adapt and change to survive such situations (this can be called a balance)....nature is cruel by some peoples standards

[1982mockingbird1982]

We still practice this kind of kin-selective behaviour by consdering animals and insects to be unworthy of rights and fair-game for exploitation abuse and slaughter. At that the time many ppl outside Greece may have seemed like Barbarians by their standards just as non-humans seem 'sub-sentient' by ours

[combatleague]

@ToxicOdiousOne

please, dont associate plato with a liberal. he served proudly in the greek phalanx. he perhaps was a statist, but on a smaller scale comparitively because women werent associated with man realm of politics. so if you will call him a "nazi" or a "fascist" (and plato would have hated communism and democracy ie. * liberalism) it would be much more refreshing, and accurate.

[skaley01]

@rumpranger65 No buddy. A liberal democracy under capitalism survives on different class distinctions. While some people liberate themselves others are forced into a cycle of inheriting their condition.A lot of society also encourages ignorance amongst inferior groups in order to remain superior. I think its a weak argument. Aristotle contradicts himself because he also says that the soul is the most important element and is meant to be cultivated.

[ToxicOdiousOne]

Plato was dead wrong. He was against the free market. He hated cspitalism. Government was centralized and interfered with business hurting entrepreurship among other things. He was an evil man. He was a typical mentally disordered big government liberal elitist.

[ToxicOdiousOne]

Plato adocated totalitarian socialism. Hitler was influenced by Plato's Republic. Iran is an example of Playo's Republic. His ideas seem much like those of Karl Marx. He's definately a fan of socialism. The people are too stupid to govwrn themselves and need government to make their decisions for them.

[MichaelHall1989]

This guy has obviously never studied Plato's Republic...