Chomsky on Madison

[Brad De Long]

>On Thursday, March 30, 2000 at 16:22:39 (-0800) Brad De Long writes:
>>>Here's a quote a friend sent to me that is attributed to Dr. Chomsky.  I
>>>thought it was kind of interesting so I'll pass it along.
>>>
>>>"... A couple of thousand years later, when our Founding Fathers 
>>>were writing
>>>
>>>the Constitution, James Madison noticed the same problem, but whereas
>>>Aristotle's preferred solution had been to reduce poverty..."
>>
>>This is totally and profoundly dorky.
>
>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.
>
>Let's see, according to you Aristotle was opposed to a limited degree
>of inequality, which is why he... thought it best
>that to arrange it so that "each man may have two estates and everyone
>may have a share";

<sarcasm>Ah. My mistake. I presumed that slaves--the people who work 
these two estates per "man"--are people too. </sarcasm>

Of course, if slaves aren't people then, yes, you can read Aristotle 
and pretend that he is a democrat. But I cannot imagine why anyone 
woul want to...