Monday, April 18, 2011

Aristotle's theory of Slavery

Aristotle claimed that people who are inferior are natural slaves, and those superior are naturally free. He explains his theory as follows:

"Where then there is such a difference as that between soul and body, or between men and animals (as in the case of those whose business is to use their body, and who can do nothing better), the lower sort are by nature slaves, and it is better for them as for all inferiors that they should be under the rule of a master. For he who can be, and therefore is, another's and he who participates in rational principle enough to apprehend, but not to have, such a principle, is a slave by nature. Whereas the lower animals cannot even apprehend a principle; they obey their instincts...

And indeed the use made of slaves and of tame animals is not very different; for both with their bodies minister to the needs of life. Nature would like to distinguish between the bodies of freemen and slaves, making the one strong for servile labor, the other upright, and although useless for such services, useful for political life in the arts both of war and peace. But the opposite often happens--that some have the souls and others have the bodies of freemen.

And doubtless if men differed from one another in the mere forms of their bodies as much as the statues of the Gods do from men, all would acknowledge that the inferior class should be slaves of the superior. And if this is true of the body, how much more just that a similar distinction should exist in the soul? But the beauty of the body is seen, whereas the beauty of the soul is not seen. It is clear, then, that some men are by nature free, and others slaves, and that for these latter slavery is both expedient and right."

I do not think this is an accurate theory, since it does not make much sense to me. There can be many factors that determine if one is a slave or is free. Someone could be sold as a slave based on the needs of their family. Slaves can also rebel and break free, as was the case in the film Ben-Hur, when Judah survived the Galleys and extracted revenge on the tyrant prince.

I believe that one's destiny is not predetermined at birth, it all depends on whether or not one has the moral strength to survive slavery, or the courage to begin a revolt and fight for freedom. This idea is suggesting that some people deserve to be slaves, which I do not think is a justifiable idea by any means. Some people may be more suited for slavery based on stature, but these people would be better off as gladiators, since serving a nation is morally permissible in my mind, while serving a wealthy individual is a waste of a strong willed person.

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