Aristotle's "Master-Slave Theory" Study

This paper focuses on Aristotle’s Politics,Vol.I,and is supplemented by other highly relevant texts such as his Metaphysics,On Soul,Physics and Ethics,and provides a detailed interpretation and exposition of Aristotle’s theory of the master-slave relationship from the perspective of the form and order of classical wisdom.The aim is to clarify some of the misconceptions that have arisen about Aristotle’s theory of the master-slave relationship due to historical prejudices,and to reveal that this theory still has much to teach and inform today’s ethical views and thinking.In the “Introductory”,a comparison and analysis of ancient and modern ethical orders exposes the thinking and shortcomings of the contemporary “dualistic set-up” view of public and private,and shows the reasons and directions for the paper’s efforts.It then goes on to show that either in Aristotle’s overall theory or in his Politics,the theory of master-slave relations can be regarded as the beginning and the pivot,in order to point out the importance of this theory;and then introduces and reviews the current state of research related to Aristotle’s theory of master-slave relations,and presents the research ideas of this paper.In order to get to the heart of the theory of the master-slave relationship,it is necessary to explain in general terms what nature,technic,the city-state and the good are and how they relate to each other.Thus,the first chapter begins with the three important aspects,these are natural teleology,technic as a mediator between the natural order and human behavior,and how politics and happiness are united in the good.The presentation of these precursory elements,which point to the basic ways and structures of ancient ethical-political thought,serves as prelude to a deeper discussion of the master-slave relationship.Chapter 2（the “Defining Chapter”）is the skeleton and heart of the text.This chapter takes Aristotle’s theoretical philosophy（mainly the theory of the soul and the theory of potentiality-actuality）as the main fulcrum,explaining and correcting the “definition and order” of master and slave in his theory of master-slave relations;it also deals with Aristotle’s distinction between natural slaves and legal slaves reveals his political position against a political system based on external and artificial conventions that would lead people towards the natural order.The third chapter（“Chapter on Property”）will discuss the issue of property in the master-slave relationship.The question of property is such an essential and relational element of the master-slave relationship that Aristotle devotes a great deal of space to it.The intention,as in the previous chapter,is not to treat property in a completely negative manner,but also to bring it back to the right path.Furthermore,it is revealed that Aristotle’s approach to slaves as property and tools is not a negation of slaves,but rather an affirmation.This is a very clear indication of Aristotle’s intention to lead the reader out of the closed comfort zone created by conventional thinking and into the truth.The fourth chapter（“Chapter on Virtue”）is a complementary selection of the Nicomachean Ethics on justice and fraternity,which is used to analyze the relevant elements of the theory of master-slave relationship（e.g.“Why is it right for the master to rule over the slave? ”and “how can masters and slaves have friend for each other”）,and to address the issue itself,responding to and clarifying the questions and misunderstandings of some scholars on the subject.The conclusion is that,firstly,in general,Aristotle’s criticism of the conventional master-slave relationship is based on the rejection of slavery as animal,woman as slave and master as “noble for all generations”,and on the purpose of revealing the various parts or elements of the master-slave relationship based on the natural order,thus establishing ethical and political foundations to lead people from doxa to truth.Secondly,in the debate between nature and convention in the theory of master-slave relationship,there is also a reflection of modern rational set-up and self-deception,this is why the classical ethical-political theory,represented by Aristotle’s theory of master-slave relationship and its approach to form and order,has immortalized through the millennia and is still worthy of reflection and reference in modern ethics.In short,the paper points out that it is important not to copy and consolidate the classical wisdom in a big way,nor to deny and avoid the modern conception in a romantic way,but to go farther than that,to face the modern way of thinking in ethics and to build on the latter.