Oikos as the Space of Deprivation: Vision of Privateness in times of Antiquity
The article focuses on the vision of private life in philosophy of Antiquity, which gave rise to dualistic distinguishing of private and public life and which became, along with liberal philosophy of the New Age, a crucial milestone in the evolution of this idea. Contrary to the views of the New Age which primarily determined the modern perceptions of correlation between privateness and publicity, Antiquity considered household as the secondary one and connected it with relations of dominance and subordination. Oikos is a space of deprivation of truly human opportunities. However, due to the material nature of humans, economical activity is an integral part of participation in the polis life. These perceptions were reflected in the philosophy of two outstanding philosophers of Antiquity. Platon finds private life not trustworthy and strives to maximally reduce the private sphere in his ideal state. Aristotle recognizes household and private life necessary, as the property is the condition of achieving nonmaterial goals.