Finding the Mean

Stephen Salkever shows that reading Aristotle is a starting point for discussing contemporary political problems in new ways that avoid the opposition between liberal individualism and republican communitarianism, between the politics of rights and the politics of virtues.

Originally published in 1990.

The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

"Insightful and carefully argued.... Regarding modern politics, Salkever makes a compelling case for moral education, mutual understanding, and the avoidance of doctrinal extremes."---Fred D. Miller, Jr., The Times Literary Supplement

"Stephen Salkever's [book] does more than explain Aristotle's understanding of the relation between theory and practice. It advocates a new style of theorizing--as old as Aristotle, but new to liberal democracy's defenders and critics. Salkever not only sheds light on Aristotle's political theory, but also presents a reconception of liberal democracy that reveals its merits, and allows us to evaluate policies and institutions in light of its best potentialities.... His work deserves to receive the attention bestowed on Rawls and Arendt or MacIntyre."---Mary P. Nichols, The Review of Politics

"One of Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles for 1991"