Reason and value: the thought of Plato and Aristotle and the construction of intellectual disability

The thought of Plato and Aristotle in relation to the construction of intellectual disability is considered. Key elements in their thought are reviewed, which may have relevance for the construction of, and social response to, intellectual disability in Western societies. Specifically, I consider the "scale of beings"; the requirements of virtue and what constitutes a "good person"; and the relationship among reason, responsibility, and moral and legal status. My purpose was to demonstrate that the exclusion of people with intellectual disabilities is inherent in Western epistemology and that it is only change at this level that will ensure true equality for those labeled as having intellectual disabilities.