While ancient Greek thought is widely acknowledged as the major source of political ideals such as freedom and equality, ancient Greek practices including slavery, the subordination of women, and imperialism have been condemned as undemocratic and immoral. So is ancient Greek political thought still relevant today? In this provocative and wide-ranging history, Ryan Balot shows what ancient Greek political texts might mean to citizens of the twenty-first century.

Balot centers his discussion on Plato and Aristotle, the great political philosophers, but also considers an array of poetic, historical, and philosophical texts in an effort to locate ancient Greek political thought in its cultural context. His account shows both how the political thought of Greece developed over time and how the characteristic Greek interest in political virtue can still shape our thinking about politics today.

Ryan K. Balot is Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Toronto. The author of Greed and Injustice in Classical Athens (2001) and Greek Political Thought (Blackwell, 2006), he specializes in the history of political thought.