Aristotle's Politics: A Discussion

Is the state a natural institution—and, if so, in what sense? How is the state related to the subordinate communities that make it up? What is the end of the state? How did the ancient Greeks reckon with the blatant injustice of the institution of slavery in their midst? On January 17th, 6:00–8:00pm, we will be exploring these and other questions by looking at one of the most foundational texts in the history of political thought, the first book of Aristotle's Politics.

All Stanford undergraduates are invited to join us to discuss this classic work. Participants are encouraged to read the text in advance. We will be using C. D. C. Reeve's translation, which can be found here. Our discussion will focus just on Chapters 1–7.

Dinner will be provided. Please register in advance so that Zephyr can have an accurate headcount.

This discussion forms part of our year-long undergraduate philosophical discussion series, Value in a Human Life. This term we will be discussing philosophical readings that treat human goods that consist in relationship, such as romantic love, friendship, and political engagement. Though sessions will be thematically connected, readings from later weeks will not presuppose readings from earlier weeks and interested participants are welcome to come to as many or as few as they wish.

Our discussion will be led by Zephyr’s Director of Academic Programs, Landon Hobbs.