Aristotle’sremarksaboutthedifferencesbetweenthesexeshavebecomeinfamousfortheirimplicationsforthesocialstatusofwomen.Inhisobservationsonfemalebiology,Aristotleclaimsthat“thefemalenatureis,asitwere,adeformity.“Indescribingwomen’sroleinthepublicsphere,heclaimsthatwomenarenaturallysubordinatebecause,whiletheypossessadeliberativefaculty,thatcapacityis“withoutauthority.“Whilebothclaimsexpressthe“inferiority“offemalebodies/womenrelativetomalebodies/men,itisnotself-evidentthatthedefectsAristotleidentifiesinfemalebiologyhavecognitiveormoralmanifestationsthatwouldjustifytheruleofmenoverwomeninpoliticallife.MargueriteDeslauriershereaimstoconstructacoherentpictureofAristotle’sviewsonsexualandgender-baseddifferencefromtheseremarksandtoshowtheextenttowhichhisviewsonfemalebiologyandwomen’sroleinpoliticsarecausallyconnected.WithoutexculpatingAristotlefromchargesofmisogyny,Deslaurierscontextualizeshisexplanationsoftheroleandoriginoffemaleanimalsinhisbiologyandtheroleofwomeninhispoliticalphilosophy;sheshowshowAristotledevelopedtheseviewsandtheimportancetheyholdforhiswiderphilosophicalcommitments.ShethenexploreshowAristotlemighthaveseenthelinkbetweenthephysiologyofsexandthebearingithasonpoliticallife.SheultimatelyarguesthatinAristotle’sconceptionofsexualdifferenceinbiologyandpolitics,thereisatensionbetweenhisviewoftheinferiorityoffemalebodiesandwomenandhiscommitmenttotheideathatfemalesandwomenarevaluablebothforgenerationandforthepoliticallifecharacteristicofhumanbeings.InthistensionshefindsadifferencebetweenAristotleandhispredecessors:whilepreviousaccountsassociatesexualdifferencewithaffliction,Aristotleseessexualdifferenceasabenefit,bothtoaspeciesandapoliticalcommunity.Thisvolumewillbeofinteresttophilosophersandstudentsinterestedinancientphilosophy,feministphilosophy,aswellasthosestudyingmoralandpoliticalphilosophy.
