Aristotle's Political Theory

The Problem: A Necessary Function For a False Religion

• Aristotle asserts the content of traditional religion shouldn't be taken seriously be philosophers
• Philosophers should not model gods after their own shapes and lifestyles.
• This led to the popular belief that gods are ruled by a king.
• Aristotle criticizes belief in anthropomorphic gods because he considers them incorrect.
• Discussion in Metaphysics A. 8 attests to this.
• Aristotle says traditional myths are intelligible to philosophers insofar as they allude to divine first substances,
• The rest of their content amounts to fabrication added to persuade the masses, support laws, bring about general advantage.
• Aristotle rejects the anthropomorphic content of traditional religion because it extends to the denial of divine providence.
• Traditional religion will have a large role to play in Aristotle's ideal polis. The ideal city reserves a place for:
• class of retired citizens as priests (VII. 9, 1329a27-34).
• fixed part of the city's budget to costs related to the gods (VII. 10, 1330a8-9).
• discussion of the way buildings assigned to the gods should be erected (VII. 12, 1331223–30; 1331b17-18).
• display of statues or pictures representing unseemly acts.
• religious context (VII. 17, 1336b14–19).
• Although Aristotle considers that the content of his day flawed, unlike Plato, he thinks it need not be revised to be accepted in a philosophically adequate state.
• Wonder about what good Aristotle thinks could come out of institutionalized rituals, sacrifices, and prayers dedicated to gods.
  • The only gods there are are not responsive or intervene in individual daily lives.
• Raises the question of to what extent Aristotle is consistent in declaring traditional religious ideas false while giving them and religious practices a positive place in his ideal polis
• Aristotle views traditional religion and its institutions as an integral part of political organization so he admits traditional religion into his ideal Polis- it is conditionally necessary for any polis to exist as such (Pol. VI. 8, 1322618-22; VII. 8, 1328b2-13).

Natural Function of Religion

• Aristotle outlines religion is politically useful for controlling people by manipulating them to believe false content, with a view to supporting laws and bringing about general advantage, a view that's elaborated on in Politics
• Aristotle argues for usefulness of traditional religion for securing social stability, and adopts it for himself, when he says, in the context of a discussion of the ideal polis, that it would be easy for the legislator

Avoiding the Problem: True Religion, Religious Reform, Unnecessary Religion

• Eliminating any one of these three items would enable avoiding the problem of preserving an unrevised version of religion in the city. However, it is largely not possible to do so.
  • (1) Aristotle generally rejects the depictions of anthropomorphic, providential gods in the content of traditional religion as false.
  • (2) The religion that Aristotle envisages for his ideal polis would be congruous with his own philosophy even though the traditional religion of his day was flawed and largely false.
  • The religion of that city might either be a compromise with traditional religion, incorporating the worship of that which both Aristotle and religion agree are gods.
  • Aristotle's intention in the Politics is suggest the desirability of reforming religion in such a way that the gods worshipped resemble as much as possible the Aristotelian nous,"
  • (3) Cannot deny Aristotle's explicit view that traditional religion is necessary for any polis to exist as such
• The list includes necessary supervisions in a polis.

The Necessary Function of Traditional Religion

• Natural function of traditional religion is the use of such religion for the process of learning first philosophy
• Knowledge of first philosophy is the central and most fundamental achievement in Aristotle's theory of happiness, and any naturally existing polis must enable its citizens to attain it
• Traditional religion contributes to goal directly,
  • Generates in citizens a sense of wonder at gods, thereby prompting them to inquire philosophically into divinity
  • Inquiry, if carried out, ultimately leads to knowledge of first philosophy (true gods of Aristotle's Metaphysics)
• Sense of "wonder" at gods afforded by traditional religion is necessary in order for inquiry to begin.

The Usefulness of Traditional Religion in Aristotle's Lost Works

• The point of Aristotle's criticism of traditional religion remains that the truths it proclaims cannot constitute value.
• Value must be found similarly to the value of mystery cults, in some other kind of benefit that it shows itself capable of bestowing upon its practicing members.
• Aristotle finds the experience of a staging valuable because of the emotional condition produced by it, rather, that's in turn capable rendering the individual more suitable for a certain purpose learning.
• The value in traditional religion lies to is in the ability of traditional religion practices to afford a favorable emotional state conducive to learning.

The Teleological Account of Religion

• Aristotle does not provide a teleological account of how and why religious institutions are needed in any polis
• Religion can be used in bringing citizens the potentials to a philosophically correct understanding of the nature of actually existing gods.

The Use of Religion for Social Stability and the Enhancement of Moral Virtue

• Two alternative uses that also seem also to fit the social and cultural needs of the citizens of the Polis.
• (a) falsity of its content,
• (b) realization by the entire citizenry of its Falsity.
• Aristotle accepts the use of traditional religion for securing social stability and adherence to law by deceiving certain people into believing in false contents of traditional religion.
• For Aristotle traditional Gods are not compatible and that the the gods who whom morality conditions have been ascribed here is the traditional gods.

Conclusion

• Religion facilitates the arrival at "first philosophy."
• A case in point, is the view of Moses Maimonides, a self-proclaimed Aristotelian, whose furious rebuttal of anthropomorphism in relation to divinity (in the form of a negative theology) has been more radical than that of “both Islamic and Christian theologians.
• Commonality between God and humans that accounts for (the possibility of) human flourishing or perfection, and which is in turn itself understood as a form of imitatio dei.

Explore Aristotle's political theory, focusing on citizenship, the role of religion, and the ultimate goal of human life within the polis. Understand philosophical inquiry, the pursuit of knowledge, and the importance of living well. The text suggests the usefulness of traditional religion.