ABSTRACT
A stream of scholarship has recently emerged concerning our understanding of leadership in contemporary society. Although distinctions in the leadership dyad have strong elitist implications, Aristotle's leaders were men of courage and temperance. They were learned. They were compassionate. They sought the ultimate good, not only for themselves, but for all who were under their rule. They were undaunted by private interest and the pursuit of trinkets. Free from the tyranny of passion, their leadership was rooted in justice and virtue. For women and children, however, Aristotle's approach to the dyad is somewhat different. Even though he considers both to be inferior to the freeman, he allows that children have the potential to be virtuous. Moreover, unlike slaves, women have virtues peculiar to their nature. The philosophical insights of Aristotle have made a considerable impact upon understanding of leadership.
