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Le peuple et les démocraties
Bodéüs, Richard
2024
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e-ISBN
978-88-5511-515-5
Abstract
This study identifies the “essential qualities” which, according to Aristotle, make it possible to define the fraction of citizens called the “people”: poverty, lack of education and absence of illustrious ancestors. Since these “qualities” are more or less pronounced depending on the different social classes of poor people, are distributed on a census scale and are reflected by the components of the army of the City, they also make it possible to define different peoples, which are each “ matter” of a particular “form” of democracy. These forms of democracy, which Aristotle lists, range from a rural and ancient species to an urban, readily plebeian, and recent species. All are denounced as so many "deviations", more or less flagrant, in relation to a "right" political regime, the most deviated being extreme democracy, which no longer really deserves the name of political regime.
Cette étude dégage les «qualités essentielles» qui, selon Aristote, permettent de définir la fraction des citoyens qu'on appelle le «peuple»: pauvreté, manque d'éducation et absence d'ancêtres illustres. Parce que ces «qualités» sont plus ou moins prononcées selon les différentes classes sociales de pauvres, réparties sur une échelle censitaire et reflétées par les composantes de l'armée de la Cité, elles permettent aussi de définir différents peuples, qui sont chacun la «matière» d'une «forme» de démocratie particulière. Ces formes de démocraties, qu'Aristote répertorie, vont d'une espèce rurale et ancienne à une espèce urbaine, volontiers plébéienne, et récente. Toutes sont dénoncées comme autant de «déviations», plus ou moins flagrantes, par rapport à un régime politique «droit», la plus déviée étant la démocratie extrême, qui ne mérite plus vraiment le nom de régime politique.
This study identifies the “essential qualities” which, according to Aristotle, make it possible to define the fraction of citizens called the “people”: poverty, lack of education and absence of illustrious ancestors. Since these “qualities” are more or less pronounced depending on the different social classes of poor people, are distributed on a census scale and are reflected by the components of the army of the City, they also make it possible to define different peoples, which are each “ matter” of a particular “form” of democracy. These forms of democracy, which Aristotle lists, range from a rural and ancient species to an urban, readily plebeian, and recent species. All are denounced as so many "deviations", more or less flagrant, in relation to a "right" political regime, the most deviated being extreme democracy, which no longer really deserves the name of political regime.
Source
Richard Bodéüs, "Le peuple et les démocraties" in: "Prospettive sulla Politica di Aristotele", Trieste, EUT Edizioni Università di Trieste, 2024, pp. 23-58
Languages
fr
Rights
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
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