Tentative Response--Aristotle on Slavery

In Politics, Aristotle discusses what it means to be a slave, and the distinguishing characteristics of slaves in Greek society. Aristotle makes three main points on this subject early on in Politics. He states, "...if something is capable of rational foresight, it is a natural ruler and master, whereas whatever can use its body to labor is ruled and is a natural SLAVE" (2). Aristotle later writes that "for anyone who, despite being human, is by nature not his own but someone else's is a natural slave. [...] he is a piece of property; and a piece of property is a tool for action that is separate from its owner" (7). He finally states that a slave is someone who "does not have [reason] himself" (9). Here, I believe Aristotle characterizes a slave as someone who lacks any agency, partially because they have no powers of reason or logic, and partially because they are under the complete (or almost complete) control of someone else. Thus, it seems that to Aristotle, the slave must not only be born with the intellectual limitations required, but also under the unfortunate circumstances in which it will be placed under a master's discretion and command. 

What I find most impossible to recreate in our society today is Aristotle's notion that some people (i.e., slaves) are born with a complete lack of logic, reason, or rationality of any sort. Aristotle's statement that a slave can literally only provide its body for use is unattributable to my own beliefs as well as our society today. I agree with Daniel's posting regarding the term "slave", but would also argue that on a worldwide scale and to the U.S. specifically, there are many people under the direct control of others who do not have control over their own lives. These may include sex and migrant workers that are trafficked illegally, and workers and children who were sold into indentured servitude or another form of modern slavery. The employers/masters/controllers of these people do not care nor consider the intellectual capacities of these people, but exploit their bodies under no regulation. For that reason, I believe these people are close to, but not examples, of Aristotle's definition. I do not believe that a person is ever born with such a lack of intellect to fulfill the first part of Aristotle's statement. A looser reading of Aristotle's Politics may also categorize undocumented workers in the U.S. and other countries as "enslaved", due to the mass exploitation of their physical labor by their employers. These workers are also under the control of their employers to some extent in that many of the workers fear that leaving their job or engaging in a strike will lead to deportation or imprisonment.