Criminal and Constitutional Populism Under the Aristotelian Framework

Authors

  • Giacomo Cotti Ph.D. Candidate in Legal Studies, University of Bologna

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15168/tslr.v5i1.2368

Keywords:

Aristotle, justice, ethics, law, populism

Abstract

Aristotle's work relies on the assessment of human nature and the search for the supreme good defined as the complete fulfillment of an active life. In his view, the Stagirite regards the community of the political type as the most conducive to the common and individual good. Therefore, the account of justice cannot be separated from the account of politics, and consequently from the account of virtues. These two concepts are indeed intrinsically connected. In fact, in his perspective, the best city requires the best citizens as the ideal ground to build up the best possible community, and vice versa. This conceptual framework seems particularly essential and useful to assess the modern phenomenon of constitutional populism. The basis of Aristotle's theory of justice (in its general, distributive, and corrective type) applied to the perceived deviant constitution of democracy demonstrates how the phenomenon works in the fields of constitutional and criminal law.

Author Biography

Giacomo Cotti, Ph.D. Candidate in Legal Studies, University of Bologna

Giacomo Cotti is a Ph.D. Candidate in Legal Studies (Criminal Procedure Law) at the University of Bologna. He graduated from the University of Bologna in 2019, having spent a semester abroad as an Erasmus student at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL), during the a.y. 2016-2017. He also practiced as an Intern at the Court of Appeals of Bologna and as a Trainee Lawyer at the Avvocatura dello Stato (State Legal Advisory Service).

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Published

08.05.2023

How to Cite

Cotti, Giacomo. 2023. “Criminal and Constitutional Populism Under the Aristotelian Framework”. Trento Student Law Review 5 (1). Trento, Italy:19-67. https://doi.org/10.15168/tslr.v5i1.2368.

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Section

Articles