even among humans there was a natural hierarchy. What set humans above animals was their rationality — it brought them closer to the world of the spirit, the world of ideas and forms. Within the value system, things that lead to the spirit are superior to things that cater to the merely material. But not all people are as rational as others. Men, for example, were believed to be intrinsically more rational than women, along with being “obviously” superior physically. Men thus properly had authority over women.
