Democratic Demagoguery and Closed Oligarchies

We discuss Aristotle’s reflections on the best and worst sorts of democracy and oligarchy.   

Matt Parks and David Corbin explore the ideas behind today's headlines.

Opening and closing music from the beginning and end of “2020 Vision (Worse than Blind)” by Fred Lancia. Used with permission.

Opening (0:54) - We discuss the Patriots’ big Monday night win over the Bills, the prospects for a Patriots-Bucs Super Bowl, and conspiracy theories around Bill Belichick’s pregame Navy facemask.     

Required Reading (4:06) - We discuss Aristotle’s account of the different types of democracy and oligarchy in Book IV of The Politics and the role that statesmanship, property, and the rule of law play in moderating regimes. Links: Aristotle, The Politics.

Crystal Ball (25:17) - We make our picks for the Army-Navy game, discuss the new Corbin rules for deciding the winner of the Command-in-Chief Trophy, and then project the winners in the College Football playoffs.  

Email: [email protected]

Matt Parks is the Interim Provost and an Associate Professor of Politics at The King’s College in New York City. David Corbin is Head of School at the Geneva School of Boerne, Texas. All views expressed in this podcast are those of the speaker.