Aristotle on Slavery

[Brant Gaede]

~ Since Jefferson's been brought up, anyone have any ideas re my following questions:

1) If any slaves of his ran away to a (so-called) 'free' state, what would Jefferson have done?

2) For that matter did any try? -- If none, why not? They feared his Simon LeGree punishments? -- If some, what happened? Did he send the dogs after them?

LLAP

J:D

Many tried to run. Some succeeded. And yes, the slave catchers did go after some. However Jefferson could have "sold" his slaves to a shill who would have taken then to a free state. There were many ways in which Jefferson could have freed his slaves. Of course that would have meant a financial loss to him.

In many ways Jefferson was self indulgent and acratic. He was chronically strapped for cash. He spent more on consumables (his books, hobbies and good wine) than he could afford. In many respects he was undisciplined. His moral judgment of slavery was very harsh. He was convinced that the institution of slavery would literally bring down the wrath of God down upon the nation which it did. The Civil war which broke out thirty five years after Jefferson's death cost 620,000 lives and a million and a half maimed. The butcher's bill was two percent of the entire population (the number dead). In terms of today's population that would have been over six million dead.

Jefferson missed, nay tossed away, his chance to avert the wrath and destruction he saw coming. What does that make Jefferson?

Ba'al Chatzaf

One has to consider that freeing slaves then would be ripping them out of one context and tossing them into another.

The national government established by the Constitutional Convention made the Civil War possible if not inevitable. The same might be said about our ever bigger government. There is still a case to be made for the confederation of states that preceded the Convention. George Washington was not the first President of an independent America. And Jefferson, btw, did not much hesitate to act extra-constitutionally with, by way of example, the Louisiana Purchase.

I do wish "acratic" were a word.

--Brant

[BaalChatzaf]

I do wish "acratic" were a word.

--Brant

English transliteration of a Greek word. It is found in -Nichomachean Ethics-. It means one who cannot rule his own impulses. Sometimes it is translated (badly) as incontinent.

See http://www.lexic.us/definition-of/acratic

Ba'al Chatzaf

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

To condemn Aristotle (or Jefferson) on slavery is to condemn them for not having electric lights.

Michael,

LOL...

That about sums up the whole discussion for me.

Michael