There is another way in which the idealism–realism split between Plato and Aristotle showed itself, and that was in their political thought. Plato’s Republic has inspired countless philosophers and political leaders over the centuries, yet his ideas of the good life tended to force people into roles for which they were ill suited. Unearthly ideals, we have learned at great cost, too easily lead to social and political disasters. Equally, otherworldly ideals of economic rationality can too easily lead to the design of a marketplace fatally prone to financial crises. Aristotle’s realism, on the
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