Early Political Theory and PracticeCa. 800–ca. 450 BCE

04/22/2023 Early Politics 2

Agenda

• Papers• MLA, Honesty, Critical Thinking

• Recap and Update• The Invention of Politics

• Oral Report• Natham, Christine, Orin on Monoson on Harmodius

& Aristogeiton

• Pick a Lens• Dahl, Ober, Scholtz

Papers

MLA, Honesty, Critical Thinking

04/22/2023 3

Recap and Update

The Invention of Politics

04/22/2023 Early Politics 5

Birth of the Polis

from Iron-Age chiefdom

• village networks• basileis• boule (royal council)

• demos (rank-and-file)

to Archaic polis

• synoecism• archons• boule (aristocratic council)

• demos (popular assembly)

04/22/2023 Early Politics 6

Athenian Timeline

• ca. 620 Draco’s law code• thesmoi

• 594/3 Solon’s reforms• nomoi

• 560-510 Peisistratean tyranny• 507 Cleisthenic reforms

04/22/2023 Early Politics 7

Critical Thinking: Solon (594/3? BCE)

1. Birth qualification => property qualification.2. Cancellation of debt.3. End to debt-slavery.4. Council (boule) of 400.5. Citizen-jury courts (eliaia, dikasteria).

Tyranny? Oligarchy? Democracy?

Cleisthenic Reforms (507 BCE)

from oligarchyclan/village constituencies

4 tribesarchons

Council of 400

to proto-democracydeme-trittys organization10 tribesarchons + stratēgoiCouncil of 500

isonomia

04/22/2023 Early Politics 9

Readings: Issues

• Justice and the state• Stasis, eunomia• monarkhia, isonomia

• Constitutional concerns• democracy• oligarchy• tyranny

• Questions of peitho

Oral Report

Natham, Christina, Orin

04/22/2023 10

Pick a Lens

Dahl, Ober, Scholtz

04/22/2023 Early Politics 12

Dahl’s Criteria

1. Effective participation.2. Voting equality at the decisive stage.3. Enlightened understanding.4. Control of agenda.

“Strong principle of equality”(compare isonomia)

04/22/2023 Early Politics 13

Ober’s Dialectic

• Mass “hegemony” / elite “advice”• Political equality / material inequality• Freedom / consensus

Ideological-rhetorical negotiation

Scholtz Dialogical Model

SPEECHinformational

dimensionsocial

dimension

enacts bonds defines ideologies

enabling dialogue

inhibiting dialogue

04/22/2023 Early Politics 15

Pick a Lens. . .

• Aeschylus Suppliant Women• “… I shall go to advance your cause. May Persuasion and

Fortune Who Brings Success attend me”

• Eupolis Demes• “A certain peitho resided on [Pericles’] lips, …! And he

alone of the orators left a sting in his listeners”

• Protagoras in Plato’s Protagoras• [Hermes:] “ ‘Shall this be the manner in which I am to

distribute justice and reverence among human beings, or shall I give them to all?’ ‘To all,’ said Zeus”

Dahl? Ober? Scholtz?