Darwinian Natural Right

"This beautiful little book rediscovers the missing biology of Aristotle especially as it applies to moral phisophy and does so in a thoroughly modern way, that is, by integrating it with modern Darwinian thinking, a subject Arnhart easily masters. The result is a very impressive piece of intellectual work, rich in detail and far-reaching in scope and in conclusions." — Robert Trivers, Rutgers University

"This is one of the best works of its kind that I have read in many years. It is extremely well-written and reads beautifully. Arnhart argues for a Darwinian perspective on morality and human nature generally, combined with an Aristotelian perspective. His argument will be extremely controversial." — Michael Ruse, Editor, Philosophy and Biology"This work is an astounding accomplishment. No one else could have done it. The range and depth of the understanding of Aristotle and Darwin are unusual; the capacity to link them to a thorough and accurate treatment of contemporary biology is even more so. And on other thinkers or historical issues, the erudition and clarity are equally precise and illuminating. For decades, we have been told that political philosophy in general and ancients like Aristotle in particular have been rendered obsolete by contemporary science. Social scientists and humanists in general—and political theorists more specifically—will simply have to reconsider their assumptions in the light of this work." — Roger Masters, Dartmouth College"This is a very intelligent discussion of matters that in the past have invited ideologues as participants and critics. My sense is that this is a book a publisher should be happy to have on its list." — Timothy Goldsmith, Yale University"Larry Arnhart is at the cutting edge of the frontiers of political philosophy today. His book on Aristotle and Darwin crowns more than a decade of research on the biological foundations of human nature. He has shown that it is no longer possible to assume that our biological nature is unrelated to our moral nature. He has therefore gone a long way to restoring the credibility of 'the laws of nature and of nature's God,' and of the political science upon which this nature was founded." — Harry V. Jaffa, Claremont McKenna College and Claremont Graduate School"This beautiful little book rediscovers the missing biology of Aristotle especially as it applies to moral phisophy and does so in a thoroughly modern way, that is, by integrating it with modern Darwinian thinking, a subject Arnhart easily masters. The result is a very impressive piece of intellectual work, rich in detail and far-reaching in scope and in conclusions." — Robert Trivers, Rutgers University

• Abbreviations Acknowledgments 1. Aristotle, Darwin, and Natural Right An Intellectual JourneyTen PropositionsSeven ObjectionsAn Overview of the Book2. Desire and Reason The Nature of DesireThe Normative Structure of Animal MovementTwenty Natural DesiresNurturing NatureFour Sources of Moral DisagreementPrudence3. Political Animals Ants, Bees, and Other Political AnimalsThe Hobbesian CritiqueThe Nature of Culture4. The Human Nature of Morality and Freedom Natural MoralityNatural FreedomConclusion5. Parent and Child Plato's Second WaveReligious Communism in the Oneida CommunitySecular Communism in the KibbutzFour Biological CausesThe Human Ecology of Parental InvestmentInfanticide, Adoption, and Sexual Bonding6. Man and Woman Feminist NaturalismThe Biology of Sex DifferencesMating DesiresMale Dominance and Male VulnerabilityThe Moral Complementarity of Male and Female NormsNatural Genitals and Natural FeetFeminist Culturalism7. Master and Slave Ant Slavery and Human SlaveryAristotleHumeJeffersonDarwinLincolnRacial ScienceConclusion8. The Poverty of Psychopathic Desire The Mask of SanityThe Flat Soul Behind the MaskAn Evolutionary Niche for MachiavelliansTo Know But Not to FeelMoral Strangers9. The Ends and Kinds of Life Natural KindsNatural Ends10. Nature and Nature's God McShea, Masters, and WilsonAristotle and AugustineHume and DarwinMoses and AquinasThe Desire to UnderstandReferences Index