Author Description

THE DEBT we owe to ancient Greece-specifically to the city-state of Athens-for the concept of democracy is universally acknowledged. Aristotle's text, long believed lost, was rediscovered in 1879 and was edited for its first publication by Frederic George Kenyon in 1891. The current text is his English translation, first published in 1914. Aristotle begins with a historical lesson, detailing the long path through the early kingships, the harsh laws of Draco, the dramatic shift away from plutocracy under the influence of Solon, and the subsequent gradual path toward our earliest form of democracy. Aristotle believes that justice is the correct purpose of whatever form of rule is chosen. He argues, however, that justice is more likely to be pursued and corruption avoided when all citizens play an active role. Aristotle continues with the advantage he sees in a constitutional democracy, along with an analysis of the challenges that form will encounter. Constitutions must change over time, he says, and adds that the middle class is best equipped to ensure peace between the various economic classes. The concluding parts deal largely with the author's description of Athenian society, explaining the roles the various segments play in a constitutional democracy. He always stresses the importance of the individual: it is the individual who determines the destiny of the city-state and the individual whose interests are served. Athenian democracy was not the democracy of the modern nation-state, but many of its concepts are integral to all current democracies. Though this text was still lost when many modern democracies were established, the legacy of the developments in Athens was essential to the rebirth of democracy in modern times.