From Political Mythos to Economic Logos: Secularization in Aristotle’s Politics

The economic background of Aristotle’s Politics goes far beyond the considerations on oikonomia in the first book, or the scattered references to economic principles throughout the whole work. It is the method of analysis of politics as an empiric, measurable and secularized discipline where his work is most linked with modern social sciences, economy among them. Secularization will be exemplified through three case studies: the oath, the concept of justice, and the idea of salvation / preservation. In all these cases, there is no concession to mythological or religious notions, but they are instruments of the logos, which constitutes a unique enterprise in Antiquity.