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Aristotle and JS Mill on Speech and Politics Stephen A. Block, Ph.D

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Aristotle and JS Mill on Speech and Politics Stephen A. Block, Ph.D ABSTRACT Rhetoric, Reason, and the Problem of Rule: Aristotle and J.S. Mill on Speech and Politics Stephen A. Block, Ph.D. Committee Chair: Mary P. Nichols, Ph.D. This dissertation examines the relation between reason, public speech, and rule in the thought of J.S. Mill and Aristotle. It argues that both Mill and Aristotle present alternatives to typical liberal theories of speech that distinguish private “moral” languages from non-moral public discourse based on artificially-constructed principles of “public reason.” Theories of “public reason” aim to disconnect reason from the human good in order to provide the individual with authority to pursue his own good freely while constructing rational political order. The result of such theories is a distortion of the purposes and meaning of human rationality. This dissertation argues that, in contrast to other modern liberal thinkers, Mill is inegalitarian in assuming a distinction between the wise “few” and the unwise “many.” His liberal theory takes its bearings from this outlook that affirms the possibility for the rational discovery of moral truth rather than the artificial rationality that characterizes other liberalisms. Mill’s argument for freedom of speech, which encourages public discourse about questions of morality, is a reflection of this distinction. Mill thus provides a richer and more satisfying account of human reason and its capacities that other liberals do. Mill denies that his inegalitarianism leads to a hierarchical and illiberal political order only because the life of the wisest does not entail the activity of ruling inasmuch as ruling is a burdensome task directed to the good of another rather than the ruler’s own good. In contrast to Mill, Aristotle affirms the intrinsic worth of political rule for the ruler and denies that political rule should be reduced to an instrument exercised in accordance with technical expertise. While ascribing such dignity to politics complicates any answer to the central questions that arise in political life – “who should rule?,” for example – it generates a perpetual need for speech and thought about the common good and justice that makes humans inseparably political and rational beings. Aristotle thus defends rhetoric as the language necessary to represent and communicate the ambiguous truths of politics and human action and as the highest manifestation of political rule. Rhetoric, Reason, and the Problem of Rule: Aristotle and J.S. Mill on Speech and Politics by Stephen A. Block, B.S., M.A. A Dissertation Approved by the Department of Political Science ___________________________________ David Clinton, Ph.D., Chairperson Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Baylor University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Approved by the Committee ___________________________________ Mary P. Nichols, Ph.D., Chairperson ___________________________________ David K. Nichols, Ph.D. ___________________________________ Dwight Allman, Ph.D. ___________________________________ David Clinton, Ph.D. ___________________________________ Michael Foley, Ph.D. Accepted by the Graduate School May 2012 ___________________________________ J. Larry Lyon, Ph.D., Dean Page bearing signatures is kept on file in the Graduate School. Copyright © 2012 by Stephen A. Block All rights reserved CONTENTS ABBREVIATIONS………………………………………………………………...........vii AKNOWLEDGEMENTS................................................................................................viii CHAPTER ONE Introduction........................................................................................................................1 CHAPTER TWO Mill’s Utilitarianism and Modern Morality Introduction................................................................................................................14 Rules and the Good in Mill’s Utilitarianism...............................................................15 Pleasure and the Good................................................................................................19 Conclusion...................................................................................................................30 CHAPTER THREE Liberalism, Knowledge, and Diversity Introduction.................................................................................................................32 Liberalism and the Dilemma of Free Speech..............................................................33 Theory, Practice, and the Limits of Reason................................................................40 Teaching, Learning, and Autonomy............................................................................57 Character, Modern Progress, and Liberty..................................................................67 Politics and Inequality.................................................................................................78 CHAPTER FOUR The Good of Politics in the Nicomachean Ethics Introduction.................................................................................................................84 Aristotle’s Introduction to Politics and the Good.......................................................86 Eudaimonia, Self-Knowledge, and the Life of Politics................................................98 Politics, Art, and Virtue.............................................................................................105 CHAPTER FIVE Aristotle on the Regimes and the Desire to Rule Introduction................................................................................................................129 Citizenship and the Rule of the City...........................................................................130 Correct Rule, Justice, and the Regimes......................................................................140 Ruling and the Art of Rule..........................................................................................153 v CHAPTER SIX Rhetoric and Politics Introduction................................................................................................................164 Rhetoric and Expertise...............................................................................................166 Rhetoric and Action....................................................................................................179 Time and the Good.....................................................................................................187 Praise and the Beautiful..............................................................................................195 CHAPTER SEVEN Conclusion......................................................................................................................198 BIBLIOGRAPHY............................................................................................................209 vi ABBREVIATIONS NE Nicomachean Ethics P Politics R The Art of Rhetoric OL On Liberty U Utilitarianism L The Logic of the Moral Sciences vii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I have to begin by offering my deepest appreciation to my teacher and committee chair, Professor Mary Nichols. I consider it one of the greatest fortunes of my life to have been her student. Both through her astonishing and wonderful insights into political philosophy that she generously shares and her nearly infinite patience in reviewing, editing, and commenting on my own work throughout my time at Baylor, she has vastly improved this work. Professor Nichols has always taught the goodness of friendship and shown it through her deeds, and the best parts of this work are due in large part to her friendship. I am also grateful to my other teachers, Professors David Nichols, Dwight Allman, and David Clinton, both for their numerous contributions to me as a teacher and scholar and for their insightful commentary on this particular work. I also am thankful to Professor Michael Foley, who generously agreed to read and also provided helpful comments on the work. I also owe thanks to my friends, Patrick Cain, Mary Mathie, and Matt Dinan, who read and provided valuable suggestions on portions of this work and who gave encouragement throughout the process of writing. To my parents, Gene and Edie, I owe my first education, who daily taught their children, through word and deed, the things that matter most of all. Without them, I never would have had to character or ability to pursue this project or my scholarly education. To my in-laws, Scott and Jennifer, I owe appreciation for their support and encouragement throughout the process. To my children, Andrew, Anna-Kathryn, and viii Ava, I owe thanks, without whom my life would be a much poorer thing and who show the worth of life’s difficulties and pleasures. To my wife, Lindsay, I owe the greatest gratitude. Her love and her wit, her friendship and her wisdom, has taught me more than anything else and has improved my soul. She has given birth to three children vastly more beautiful than the one I have generated here, and I am infinitely grateful for the life we share. She has sustained me through every aspect of writing this work, and she lovingly shares and has shared all the pains and joys that go with all my endeavors. ix CHAPTER ONE Introduction Liberalism was invented because of doubts about the worth of public speech and public judgments about good and evil, and these in turn because of doubts about the existence of a human good that could provide rational support for judgments about good and evil. In this respect,
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