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Article: Frank, Jill. A Democracy of Distinction: Aristotle and the Work of Politics.(Book review)
- Article from:
- The Review of Metaphysics
- Article date:
- December 1, 2006
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2006 Philosophy Education Society, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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FRANK, Jill. A Democracy of Distinction: Aristotle and the Work of Politics. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2005. xiii + 199 pp. Cloth, $49.00; paper, $19.00--In its attention to virtue and excellence, Aristotle's political thought depends upon distinction and inequality. Defenses of preferential treatment in politics, therefore, can be supported with an Aristotelian discrimination of the virtuous from the rest. These values are not commonly associated with democracy.
Max Weber famously notes democracy's abhorrence of privilege and discrimination, even on the basis of virtue (See "Bureaucracy" in From Max Weber, translated and edited by H. H. Gerth and ...