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Full Idea
Nobody attributes happiness to a slave, unless he also attributes to him a life of his own.
Gist of Idea
Slaves can't be happy, because they lack freedom
Source
Aristotle (Nicomachean Ethics [c.334 BCE], 1177a08)
Book Ref
Aristotle: 'Ethics (Nicomachean)', ed/tr. ThomsonJ A K/TredennickH [Penguin 1976], p.328
A Reaction
Give them freedom then! In 'Politics' he allows a degree of friendship between masters and slaves, and recognises that not all slaves are stupid.
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| 139 | A good person is bound to act well, and this brings happiness [Plato] |
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| 2689 | Good people enjoy virtuous action, just as musicians enjoy beautiful melodies [Aristotle] |
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| 14815 | We get enormous pleasure from tales of noble actions [Nietzsche] |
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