Aristotle's Ideas on Politics PDF

Aristotle’s Ideas Politics  “utopian dreamer” “ethical relativist” Sources: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/98/Sanzio_01_Plato_Aristotle.jpg https://w...

Aristotle’s Ideas Politics  “utopian dreamer” “ethical relativist” Sources: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/98/Sanzio_01_Plato_Aristotle.jpg https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-art-history/early-europe-and-colonial-americas/renaissance-art-europe-ap/a/raphael-school-of-athens Raphael’s “The School of Athens” Life of Aristotle (384-322 B.C.) Was born in Stageira, Macedonia (Northern Greece); from a family of physicians His father was Nicomachus, the court physician to King Amyntus III of Macedonia Studied at the Academy in Athens under Plato Left Athens when Plato died; Tutored Alexander the Great, son of the King of Macedonia, from 342-336 B.C. Returned to Athens in 335 B.C. as a foreigner, where he stayed at the Lyceum Married Pythias and had a daughter named Pythias (not a typo error); later had a son with his slave, Herpyllis. Aristotle named him Nicomachus (inspiration for his manuscript) Wrote about 200 works including The Nicomachean Ethics and Politics, Rhetoric and Poetics; contributed to building knowledge in logic, biology, ethics, metaphysics, physics, politics, zoology Sources: 1. https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/aristotle 2. Boucher, David and Paul Kelly. 2003. Political Thinkers From Socrates to the Present. USA: Oxford University Press. 3. www.liveyourmagic.com/2014/02/aristotle-the-purpose-of-life/  Aristotle’s Ideas On matters of Association Nature of the State Human Nature Views on women Theory of Justice Di erent Types of Constitution ff  Aristotle’s Ideas from Politics On Matters of Association In the Family or Household Why must male and female unite? “Male and female must unite for the reproduction of the species- not from deliberate intention, but from the natural impulse, which exists in animals generally as it also exists in plants, to leave behind them something of the same nature as themselves.” (Readings, 1993: 28) Was Aristotle for or against slavery? Master and slave “…there must necessarily be a union of the naturally ruling element with the element which is naturally ruled, for the preservation of both.”(Readings, 1993: 28) Justi cation? fi  Forethought “The element which is able, by virtue of its intelligence, to exercise forethought, is naturally a ruling and master element; the element which is able, by virtue of its bodily power, to do what the other element plans, is a ruled element, which is naturally in a state of slavery;” (Readings, 1993: 28) Can children rule? No, because they have incomplete Reason  “…and age and maturity are similarly tter to command than youth and immaturity…Paternal rule over children… is like that of a king over his subjects.” (Readings, 1993: 34) fi  Aristotle’s Ideas on the State “The nature of a thing is its end.” (Aristotle in Ebenstein and Ebenstein, 2000: 86) What is the nature of the state? “When several villages are united in a single complete community, large enough to be nearly or quite self-su cing, the state comes into existence, originating in the bare needs of life, and continuing in existence for the sake of a good life. And therefore, if the earlier forms of society are natural, so is the state, for it is the end of them, and the nature of a thing is its end.” (Aristotle in Ebenstein and Ebenstein, 2000: 86) NATURAL, ORGANIC What is the aim or the end of the state (political community)? (see excerpt on p. 85) THE HIGHEST GOOD; “The good life is the chief end, both for the community as a whole and for each of us individually.” (Readings, 1993: 42) ffi  FAMILY Polis VILLAGE FAMILY VILLAGEFAMILY or FAMILY VILLAGE VILLAGE FAMILY FAMILY State VILLAGE  Excerpt “And he who by nature and not by mere accident is without a state, is either a bad man or above humanity; Tribeless, lawless, heartless one” (Aristotle in Ebenstein and Ebenstein, 2000: 86) A man who is not part of a state is either a beast or a God  On Human Nature On human nature: “Hence it is evident that the state is a creation of nature, and that man is by nature a political animal.”(Aristotle in Ebenstein and Ebenstein, 2000: 86) Man is political animal What characteristics distinguish man from other animals? “And whereas mere voice is but an indication of pleasure or pain, and is therefore found in other animals…the power of speech is intended to set forth the expedient and inexpedient, and therefore likewise the just and unjust…he alone has any sense of good and evil, of just and unjust, and the like, and the association of living beings who have this sense makes a family and a state.” (Aristotle in Ebenstein and Ebenstein, 2000: 86) Man can speak; He has Reason, and is both ethical and social. Aristotle’s view on the unity of body and soul “And we call a man in any way good because he has the virtues of these two parts.” (Aristotle in Ebenstein and Ebenstein 2000, 108-109) “Just as a living being is composed of soul and body, or the soul of di erent elements of reason and appetite, or the household of man and wife, or property of master and slave, so the polis too is composed of di erent and unlike elements…”(Aristotle in Readings in Social Science 2 1993, 39) ff ff  On Citizenship Who is a citizen? “The citizen in the strict sense is best de ned by the one criterion, ‘a man who shares in the administration of justice and in the holding of o ce.’”(Readings, 1993: 36) “He who enjoys the right of sharing in deliberative or judicial o ce attains thereby the status of a citizen of his state…(Readings, 1993: 37) “ the name of citizen is particularly applicable to those who share in the o ces and honours of the state.” (Readings, 1993: 41) A person who is “free to participate in deliberative or judicial o ce.” (Miller,Jr., 2003: 202) Is a good man also a good citizen? Who is a good citizen? ffi ffi fi ffi ffi  “…the excellence of the good citizen and that of a good man are not in all cases identical…in the case of the ruler, the excellence of the good citizen is identical with that of a good man…”(Readings, 1993: 39) A good or worthy citizen has…“the double capacity which consists in knowing both how to rule and how to obey…” (Readings, 1993: 39) “…the fact remains that the good citizen must possess the knowledge and the capacity requisite for ruling as well as for being ruled, and the excellence of a citizen may be de ned as consisting in ‘a knowledge of rule over free men from both points of view.’”(Readings, 1993: 40) fi  Different Types of Constitution What is a constitution? “A constitution (or polity) may be de ned 'as the organization of a polis, in respect of its o cers generally, but especially in respect of that particular o ce which is sovereign in all issues.’”(Readings, 1993: 41) ffi fi ffi  The kind of rule exercised by holders of political of ce “When the constitution of a state is constructed on the principle that its members are equals and peers, the citizens think it proper that they should hold o ce by turns…Today the case is altered. Moved by the pro ts to be derived from o ce and the handling of public property, men want to hold o ce continuously.” (Readings, 1993: 42) What does this mean? ffi ffi ffi fi fi Classi cation of Constitutions Is based on two criteria: 1) Normative 2) Empirical Normative: “The constitution which considers the common interest are right constitutions, judged by the standard of absolute justice. Those constitutions which consider only the personal interest of the rulers are all wrong constitutions, or perversions of the right forms.”(Readings, 1993: 43) Empirical: “The civic body in every polis is the sovereign; and the sovereign must necessarily be either One, Few, or Many.”(Readings, 1993: 43) fi  ARISTOTLE’S CLASSIFICATION OF CONSTITUTIONS Empirical One Few Many Normative For the Common Kingship Aristocracy Polity Interest For the Personal Interest of Tyranny Oligarchy Democracy Ruler(s)  Normative For the Common For the Interest of the Empirical Interest Ruler(s) One Few Many ARISTOTLE’S CLASSIFICATION OF CONSTITUTIONS  What is justice? “Justice is relative to persons; and a just distribution is one in which the relative values of the things given correspond to those of the persons receiving…” (Readings, 1993: 44-45) “Those who contribute most to an association this character have a greater share in the polis…than those who are equal to them (or even greater) in free birth and descent, but unequal in civic excellence, or than those who surpass them in wealth but are surpassed by them in excellence.” (Readings, 1993: 46) Justice is de ned in terms of equivalence; in terms of equals and unequals fi What is the most practicable type of constitution? How is the “most practicable” de ned by Aristotle? (See page 54 from the Readings in Social Science II) The middle type. Why? (Find an excerpt) Oligarchy Democracy Polity fi “Now it is admitted and as a general principle, that moderation and the mean are always best.” (Readings, 1993: 55) “In all states there may be distinguished three parts, or classes, of the citizen body- the very rich; the very poor; and the middle class which forms the mean.” (Readings, 1993: 55)  “We may therefore conclude that in the ownership of all gifts of fortune a middle condition will be the best. Men who are in this condition are the most ready to listen to reason. Those who belong to either extreme -the over- handsome, the over-strong, the over-noble, the over-wealthy; or at the opposite end, the over-poor, the over-weak, utterly ignoble- nd it hard to follow the lead of reason.” (Readings, 1993: 55) “A state aims at being…a society composed of equals and peers, and the middle class, more than any other, has this sort of composition.”(Readings, 1993: 55) fi “ It is therefore the greatest of blessings for a state that its members should possess a moderate and adequate property.”(Readings, 1993: 56) “It is clear that the middle type of constitution is best. It is the one type free from faction;”(Readings, 1993: 56)  On who should rule? “…he who commands that a man should rule adds the character of the beast. Appetite has that character; and high spirit, too, perverts the holders of o ce, even when they are the best of men.”(Readings, 1993: 53) What is Law? “Law (as pure voice of God and reason) may thus, be de ned as ‘Reason free from all passions.To seek for justice is to seek for a neutral authority; and law is a neutral authority.”(Readings, 1993: 53) RULE OF LAW fi ffi Critique of Plato’s Republic On the communality of wives, children and property Destructive to the state, the nature of the state is a “plurality” Not the solution to ills of society Education is the solution- the thing that should be shared Medieval Period  Medieval Period What do you associate with the Medieval Period? Periodization (Early, High, Late Medieval Period) St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas  Christianity Di erences between Jews and Christians In the greco-Roman world, religion was a political matter. The city-states promoted worship and recognized the gods and the divinity of the emperor ff