No, again, as you are wont to do, you distort and invent. How many times does this make, Brad? A half-dozen, maybe more? First Chomsky comes in for your calumny, then Bruce Cumings, now back to Chomsky. Each time I have to intrude with the facts, quickly ascertained with a few minutes of nose to book. A smartie like you with a good library should know better than this.
>Aristotle's preferred regime was *not* a democracy with a limited
>degree of inequality--that's Rousseau. Aristotle's preferred regime
>was an oligarchy in which the narrow elite had the leisure to engage
>in philosophy and rule justly...
>...
>Jeez. Let's have at least *some* actual contact with the doctrines
>advocated by the ancient sources...
Let's see, according to you Aristotle was opposed to a limited degree of inequality, which is why he wrote: "poverty produces faction and crime"; or "none of the citizens should be without means of support"; or his assertion that "all citizens should partake of" communal meals, even the "badly off", who should be subsidized by the state as a "common charge"; or regarding the division of land, he thought it best that to arrange it so that "each man may have two estates and everyone may have a share"; or "rulers are not so greatly superior to their subjects", therefore "all must share alike in the business of ruling and being ruled by turns"; or "extreme poverty lowers the character of the democracy; measures therefore should be taken which will give [the poor] lasting prosperity"; or the effect on children "of living in luxury is that they do not become habituated to being ruled even at school; but those who are excessively needy with respect to these things are too humble"; or "the state aims to consist as far as possible of those who are like and equal ... and so the best-run constitution is certain to be found in this state, whose composition is, we maintain, the natural one for a state to have."
This has taken me all of three minutes to find, and were I less busy with other more important matters, I might take this further to show how bankrupt and irresponsible your claims are.
It is true, Aristotle abhorred "too much mastering of detail", but methinks you take this too far and project your own inadequacies upon those with whom you have an apparent personal vendetta.
Please, spare us next time your predictable and fraudulent attacks upon Chomsky and turn your attention to something more useful.
Bill