Aristotle’s politics move along less extreme, but essentially similar lines. He criticizes some of Plato’s most provocative formulations, but not only does he regard slavery as the natural basis of the social order – ‘the slave is totally devoid of any faculty of reasoning’;6 he also deplores the existence of a ‘middle’ class of free artisans and professional men, because their superficial resemblance to the rulers brings discredit on the latter.
