Justice and Terror

Philosophy > Ancient Greek
Political Science > Political Theory
Political Science > Terrorism

Justice and Terror

A comparison between Aristotle and Arendt's works with regards to the way in which they both describe the ideology of various forms of governments within their works.

850 words () | 6 sources | MLA | 2002 United States

Paper Summary:

The following paper compares Aristotle's "A Definition of Justice," focusing on the connection between the freedom that democrats seek through political participation and the virtue that aristocrats see through elite rule. In her work "Ideology and Terror," Hannah Arendt reasons that the power of totalitarian states rises from the extreme distortion of logical premises coupled with the use of terror to enforce the ideology. This paper examines how both authors identify the ideology of the government from their era and describe the conditions of a society ruled by each government within their works; however, Aristotle and Arendt differ in their opinions on human oppression.

From the Paper:

"History has witnessed constant oscillations between various forms and functions of government, from tyrannies to republics. In turn, these governments and their relation to the individual citizen have been the focus of many great thinkers. Both authors identify the ideology of the government from their era and describe the conditions of a society ruled by each government within their works; however, Aristotle and Arendt differ in their opinions on human oppression."