Vasillopulos and 'alter ego' author book on state of America

Political Science Professor Christopher Vasillopulos

Christopher Vasillopulos, political science professor at Eastern Connecticut State University, has published a new book, “Aristotle’s Ghost: How Good Free Men Built Good Free America.”

The publisher, Outskirts Press, said the book does not fit a traditional genre. “It is a multiple hybrid: history, comparative government, political theory, developmental economics, conceptual analysis, history of ideas and memoir. The author discusses his work with his alter ego, Aristotle, often by comparing Ancient Greece with American history from Plymouth Rock to Black Lives Matter. (The book’s) dialogic structure invites the reader to come to his or her own conclusions about the complexities of the American experience.”

Vasillopulos said the different modes of discussion intentionally overlap. “The separation of academic disciplines is artificial. Any complex matter cannot be understood in one way or from one perspective. This is one of the major themes of the book. You cannot understand one field without some understanding of related fields.”

Vasillopulos said white supremacy in America is a major theme in the book, but that Black Lives Matter is not the solution. “I wrote the book to share my understanding of the American experience with a wide audience. I would like the reader to understand that it is impossible to understand complex events unless one can detach oneself from the emotions they provoke. In the book, this is conveyed by the differences between the author and his alter ego on matters like abortion and the Civil War. I want the reader to make up his or her own mind.”

Students who have had Vasillopulos in class enjoy his approach to political and social issues. “I am enjoying your classes tremendously,” said Aidan Reiss, a first-year music major from Stafford. “Your perspectives on the past . . . are funny, realistic, down-to-earth and completely practical, something that is difficult to do considering the global situation right now. I am a fan of your talks, and I learn a tremendous amount from them.”

Written by Dwight Bachman

Categories: Political Science, Faculty Research, Political Science, Philosophy and Geography