Nostalgiese kommunitarisme, die nuwe absolutisme en kantaantekeninge by die opkomende neo-Aristoteliese politieke filosofie

Abstract

Oor etlike dekades het Aristoteles se politieke filosofie aan invloed toegeneem – sowel in die buiteland as in Suid-Afrikaanse wysgerige en politieke literatuur. In kommunitêre kringe geniet Aristoteles se etiese en staatsfilosofie steeds hoë vlakke van populariteit. Aristoteles se onderwerping van die politieke lewe aan sy etiese filosofie voorsien ? platvorm vir politokratiese kommunitariërs om ? filosofie te ontwerp wat op die polities-organismiese ideale van die klassieke polis gebaseer is. Politokrate neem hul toevlug tot Aristoteles se begrip van gemeenskap en onderskryf die standpunt dat die mens nooit as individu, maar as lid van ? stam, gilde of klas belangrik geag word en dat die etiese waardes wat die politieke lewe beheers hoedanighede van sulke ongedifferensieerde groepe is. Die implikasie van politokratiese kommunitarisme is dat die organismiese en hiërargiese inslag van die samelewing burgerlike vryhede en politieke regte in die onderskeie regsfere uitsluit. Die toepassing van die gemeenskapsbegrip deur politokratiese kommunitarisme is bygevolg universalisties. Dit is ook aanduidend van ? terugkeer na uitgediende antieke lewensvorme en ? staatsabsolutistiese politieke kultuur. In hierdie bydrae val die fokus op die neo-Aristoteliese beklemtoninge in die wysgerige en politieke literatuur en word die regstaatlike/magstaatlike implikasies daarvan ondersoek.

Nostalgic communitarianism, the new absolutism and notes on the emerging neo-Aristotelian political philosophy
Over several decades Aristotle’s political philosophy gained in influence – both abroad and in South African philosophical and political literature. In communitarian circles Aristotle’s ethical and state philosophical views maintain remarkable popularity. Aristotle’s subjection of political life to his ethical philosophy provides a platform for politocratic communitarians to devise a political philosophy based on the politico-organismic ideals of the classical Greek polis. Politocrats resort to the Aristotelian concept of community and subscribe to the notion that it is never man as man, but man as member of a clan, tribe, guild, or class that is important and that the ethical values governing political life are properties of those close and influential groups. The upshot of the political theory of politocratic communitarianism is that the organismic and hierarchical nature of political society precludes civil freedoms and political rights in the various spheres of law. The ideals of the concept of community in politocratic communitarianism are, therefore, universalistic and state absolutistic in essence. It also marks a return to outdated ancient forms of life, and a statist political culture. In this article the focus is placed on the revived Aristotelian emphasis in philosophical and political literature, and the implications for the law state/power state are considered.