Aristotle and Hamilton on Commerce and Statesmanship

249 Pages·2006·1.48 MB·English

by  Michael D. Chan

Aristotle and Hamilton
on Commerce and Statesmanship

ristotle and amilton
A H
on Commerce and Statesmanship
Michael D. Chan
University of Missouri Press
Columbia and London
Copyright © 2006 by
The Curators of the University of Missouri
University of Missouri Press, Columbia, Missouri 65201
Printed and bound in the United States of America
All rights reserved
5 4 3 2 1 10 09 08 07 06
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Chan, Michael D., 1968–
Aristotle and Hamilton on commerce and statesmanship / Michael
D. Chan
p. cm.
Summary: “Examines Alexander Hamilton’s political economy in relation
to Aristotle’s classical views of economics, as presented in his politics, and
finds shared support of commerce in pursuit of a regime’s or democracy’s
wider goals”—Provided by publisher.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978-0-8262-1639-7 (hard cover : alk. paper)
ISBN-10: 0-8262-1639-0 (hard cover : alk. paper)
1. Hamilton, Alexander, 1757–1804. 2. Aristotle. 3. Economics—
Political aspects. I. Title.
HB74.P65C43 2006
330.15'12—dc22
2006010399
™This paper meets the requirements of the
American National Standard for Permanence of Paper
for Printed Library Materials, Z39.48, 1984.
Designer: Jennifer Cropp
Typesetter: Crane Composition, Inc.
Printer and binder: Thomson-Shore, Inc.
Typefaces: Palatino, Caslon, Palette, and Rundfunk
To my parents

Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction 1
Part I. Aristotle’s Political Economy:
Two Cheers for Commerce 11
Chapter 1. Acquisition and Household Management 13
Chapter 2. Aristotle’s Political Economy 37
Part II. Hamilton’s Political Economy:
Neither Wholly Ancient nor Wholly Modern but a Compound of Both 55
Chapter 3. National Prosperity 65
Chapter 4. National Defense and Foreign Policy 80
Chapter 5. Cementing Union 122
Chapter 6. Commerce, Virtue, and the American Way of Life 140
Chapter 7. Liberality and National Greatness 185
Conclusion 213
Selected Bibliography 219
Index 233

Acknowledgments
I am most grateful to James H. Nichols, Jr., Mark N. Blitz, Charles R.
Kesler, and Joseph M. Bessette for introducing me to the serious study
of political philosophy and the American founding and for making
helpful suggestions to improve this book. The two referees for the
University of Missouri Press also deserve thanks for their advice. Apor-
tion of chapter 7 is adapted from “Alexander Hamilton on Slavery,”
which appeared in the spring 2004 issue of the Review of Politics. It is
used with permission. The Bradley Foundation and the Earhart
Foundation provided generous financial support.