🐝Intro to Aristotle Unit 8 – Aristotle's Political Thought

Who Was Aristotle?

• Greek philosopher born in 384 BCE in Stagira, a small town on the northern coast of Greece
• Studied under Plato at the Academy in Athens for nearly 20 years
• Tutored Alexander the Great in 343 BCE
• Founded his own school, the Lyceum, in Athens around 335 BCE
• Wrote extensively on various subjects including logic, metaphysics, natural sciences, ethics, and politics
• Believed in the importance of empirical observation and critical reasoning
• Developed a systematic approach to the study of politics and government
• Died in 322 BCE in Chalcis, Greece

Key Concepts in Aristotle's Political Thought

• Teleological view of nature and human society
  • Everything has a purpose or end goal (telos) towards which it naturally moves
  • The state exists to enable citizens to live a good life and achieve happiness (eudaimonia)
• The state as a natural entity
  • Humans are political animals (zoon politikon) who naturally form communities and states
  • The state is not merely a convention but arises from human nature itself
• The importance of the middle class
  • A strong middle class is essential for political stability and moderation
  • Helps prevent conflicts between the rich and the poor
• The role of education in shaping good citizens
  • Proper education is crucial for developing virtuous and politically engaged citizens
  • The state should provide education to all citizens
• The concept of distributive justice
  • Goods and offices should be distributed according to merit and contribution to the common good
  • Equality should be proportional rather than absolute

The Ideal State According to Aristotle

• The ideal state aims at the happiness and virtue of its citizens
• It should be neither too large nor too small
  • Large enough to be self-sufficient but small enough to maintain social cohesion and allow for effective governance
• The ideal state should have a balanced constitution that combines elements of democracy, oligarchy, and aristocracy
• Citizens should actively participate in politics and take turns ruling and being ruled
• The ideal state should promote the middle class and prevent excessive wealth or poverty
• It should provide education for all citizens to develop their moral and intellectual virtues
• The ideal state should be located in a temperate climate conducive to the health and character of its citizens

Aristotle's Classification of Governments

• Aristotle classifies governments based on who rules and in whose interest they rule
• The three main types of government are monarchy (rule by one), aristocracy (rule by few), and polity (rule by many)
• Each type has a corresponding deviant form: tyranny (monarchy), oligarchy (aristocracy), and democracy (polity)
• The deviant forms arise when rulers govern in their own interest rather than the common good
• Polity, a mixed constitution combining elements of oligarchy and democracy, is considered the best practical form of government
• Aristotle argues that the middle class should have a dominant role in the polity to ensure stability and moderation

Citizenship and Participation in Politics

• Aristotle defines a citizen as someone who participates in the deliberative and judicial functions of the state
• Citizenship is not based on birth or residence alone but on active political participation
• Citizens should take turns ruling and being ruled, holding offices and making decisions for the common good
• Participation in politics is essential for the moral development and happiness of citizens
• Aristotle excludes women, slaves, and manual laborers from citizenship, considering them incapable of the rational deliberation required for politics
• He argues that citizens should be free from the necessity of labor to devote themselves to political life

Justice and the Law in Aristotle's View

• Justice is the foundation of the state and the guiding principle of political life
• Aristotle distinguishes between universal justice (lawfulness) and particular justice (fairness)
• Particular justice is further divided into distributive justice (allocation of goods and offices) and corrective justice (rectification of wrongs)
• Distributive justice should be based on merit and contribution to the common good, not on absolute equality
• Corrective justice should aim at restoring the balance between parties, compensating for losses or harms
• Laws should be general, stable, and impartially applied to all citizens
• Equity is necessary to correct the shortcomings of general laws in specific cases

Critiques and Limitations of Aristotle's Political Theory

• Aristotle's defense of slavery as natural and necessary for the functioning of the state
  • He argues that some people are slaves "by nature," lacking the capacity for rational deliberation
• The exclusion of women from citizenship and political participation
  • Aristotle considers women naturally subordinate to men and incapable of the same level of rational thought
• The idealization of the Greek city-state (polis) as the only proper form of political community
  • Aristotle fails to consider alternative forms of political organization beyond the small-scale polis
• The assumption of a static, hierarchical social order
  • Aristotle's theory does not adequately address the possibility of social mobility or political change
• The lack of a clear theory of individual rights or protections against state power
  • Aristotle emphasizes the primacy of the state over the individual and does not develop a robust conception of individual liberty

Aristotle's Influence on Modern Political Thought

• Aristotle's ideas have had a profound impact on Western political philosophy
• His classification of governments and analysis of political regimes influenced later thinkers such as Polybius, Cicero, and Machiavelli
• The concept of the mixed constitution, balancing different elements of society, inspired the development of republican thought
• Aristotle's emphasis on the rule of law and the importance of a strong middle class influenced the American Founders and the framing of the U.S. Constitution
• His ideas about distributive justice and the allocation of goods according to merit have shaped debates about social justice and equality
• However, Aristotle's defense of slavery and the subordination of women has been rightly criticized and rejected by modern political thinkers
• Despite its limitations, Aristotle's political theory remains a foundational text in the history of Western political thought, offering valuable insights into the nature of the state, citizenship, and justice