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Atirtotle’s Politics Essay, Research Paper

Atirtotle’s Politics

Aristotle’s Politics is a timeless examination of government structure

and human nature that explains his ideas on how a utopian state can be achieved.

In this work, Aristotle examines ubiquitous issues such as government structure,

education, crime, property ownership, the honesty of occupations, and population

control. He states in Book IV, Chapter Eleven “?the best form of political

association is one where power is vested in the middle class, and secondly, that

good government is attainable in those cities where there is a large middle

class?”

The polis is a partnership of citizens in a system of government that

serves to achieve the common good. It is not just a place where people live

together for defense against enemies and for the exchange of goods. It is

rather a partnership between households, clans, and villages for the sake of a

fully developed and self-sufficient life. The polis gives those who possess

wisdom and moral intellect a chance to move up to high positions

Justice is the political good in the polis, and it must promote the

common interest of the people. What is perceived to be good has to be

distributive and regulative. The law is the regulating mechanism that emerges

from free and equal people in civic associations. It serves as the final

arbiter of problems, and stands above individuals and binds their actions. Laws

change habits and training, but are changeable through certain circumstances and

procedures if it is believed to be unjust. The well-being of a society is

contingent upon to what extent its citizens obey the law. A member of the

polis can be defined as someone who can participate in judging (serve as a juror

in the court system), and in governing (serve in public office). A good citizen

must possess moderation, prudence, and justice, and must be able and willing to

rule and be ruled.

Aristotle defines a constitution as “an arrangement in regard to the

offices of the city. By this arrangement the citizen body distributes office,

either on the basis of the power of those who participate in it, or on the basis

of some sort of general equality (i.e. the equality of the poor, or of the rich,

or an equality existing among both rich and poor.) There must therefore be as

many constitutions as there are modes of arranging the distribution of office

according to the superiorities and the differences of the parts of the city”

(Page 138). He believes that the organization of a state’s constitution is

directly related to the kinds of citizens that reside in the polis. The

constitution has a direct root to the most powerful or most populated class.

The middle class is where most of the power comes from because they are the

majority, and therefore best reflect the common interest. The upper class is

not fit to form the constitution because they, like the lower class, would base

it on t heir own values and beliefs rather than the needs of the state.

There are problems with the lower and upper classes creating laws. The

lower class constantly feels that the government is cheating them out of

something because they do not have the wealth, stature, and possibly education

that the upper-class possesses, thereby making it difficult for them to work

towards the common good. Aristotle thinks that the upper class has too much

ambition, and would only create laws that would further their economic and

social well-being with little or no regard to the rest of the population. These

classes consist of self-interested individuals that want to further their own

needs and concerns. They create factions in order to go against the system.

“Factional conflict is the result of inequality, and the passion for equality is

the root of faction” (Class Notes). The middle class acts as the mean between

the concerns of the rich and poor. “Goodness itself consists in a mean; and in

any city the middle class is a mean between the rich and the poor” (Page 156).

Th e middle class is free from the ambition of the rich and the pettiness of the

poor, which helps to ensure political cohesion. We can conclude that a

constitution based on this class (i.e. a ‘constitutional government’ or polity)

is most likely to be generally beneficial. It will be free from faction, and

most likely be stable. People who know how to deliberate and give instruction

should be eligible for positions in the government. The best form of

constitution would have the power vested in the middle class. The golden mean

is correlated with moderation which can only occur when there is a large middle

class population.

Freedom is the defining principle of democracy. The main aspects of

freedom are being ruled and ruling in turn, since every one is equal according

to number, not merit, and to be able to live as one pleases. The majority

should have authority rather than those who are “best fit to rule”, and groups

few in number. Although everyone in the polis may not be a political scientist,

they can work better together with peers. With each individual having qualities

of excellence and intelligence, they join to form a single entity.

The real difference between democracy and oligarchy is between poverty

and wealth. Oligarchy occurs when rulers owe their power to wealth whether or

not they are the majority. Tyranny can be described as the worst of two

potential evils. It is extreme oligarchy in its “distrust of the masses” and

extreme democracy in its “hostility to the noteables” (Page 211). Aristotle

says the best form is one based on merit. A combination between oligarchy and

democracy is constitutional government.

Although people can agree on what justice is, they often fail to reach

it because they can not stop from pursuing their own goals and desires. A good

government can moderate between what people think is just and what is best for

the common good. Aristotle’s theories are fundamentals of our current political

system and earned him the title “The Father of Political Science.”


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