topic 3 - aristotle

ARISTOTLE

384-322 B.C

Mind Map

Introduction

• His method• Human nature• Political economy• Community • Political forms of the

polis• Political change

Introduction • Student of Plato at the

Academy• Politics• A strong admirer of the

Athenian polis• His main concern, “why has

the Greek polis, specifically the Athenian city-state, declined as a viable form of government, and what should be done about it?”

Introduction

• Politics– Reject the imperial model of

Alexander’s Macedonian – Disagreements with Plato’s

Republic• Philosopher King• Communism for Guardian Class

– Commonality of family» Love

– Property» Modest amount is

natural

Aristotle’s method

• The concept of “real”– Plato: eternal forms

found in heaven– Aristotle: cannot be

located outside of the object itself.• Focus on the highest end

or goal of the object (telos)• It is natural for man to

shape objects to fulfill basic (natural) human needs

HIS METHOD• Telos :

– Also include thing; chair or a polis.

– So the end of the polis can be known after the study of many actual city-states

– the essential nature of things lay not at their cause (or beginning) but at their end (telos).

– Once we know the telos we can judge whether the object; three, chair, man or polis is good or bad

HUMAN NATURE• The soul rules the body

with the sort of authority of master.

• Mind rules the appetite with the sort of authority of a statesman or monarch

• The body should be ruled by the soul

• Soul should be ruled by the mind

Human Nature

• Basis of judging polis’s telos is human happiness or the good life.– Activity of the soul;

knowledge…search for wisdom- bring to self-realization

– Not the body; physical pleasure

HUMAN NATURE

• Concept of happiness:– Distinction between

rational and irrational– Rational: based on the

use of the mind; Man , by nature, is rational; his goal is to exercise his reason to the fullest; so he can be happy

– By virtue of reason also man is a political animal

Human Nature• - men are able to establish a

polis based on reason, and they cannot live just lives apart from the polis.

• Men as rational– They are collectively

interdependent– They can never pursue private

interest in public arena; they become irrational; harm the community; become either beast or god…not human.

HUMAN NATURE

• Emotions – Expresses appetites or

desire– Has place in polis if

being controlled by reason

– Reason needed to be controlled by the golden mean

Human Nature• Golden Mean:

– The best available guide to right conduct

– All things has a good and bad use.– Ex. Body: excess may consist of too

much or too little exercise, food, drink or sleep

– Good is the golden mean between the extreme of excess and deficiency

– Good polis must determine the proper mean to be regulated and translated into laws

– Good laws: present good example;• Implant good habit in people

Human nature

POLITICAL ECONOMY

• Explain the relationship between economic and politics

• Doctrine of golden mean.

• Economics is an instrumental, a tool….

• It can be a means to the rational end of the polis…i.e..happiness

POLITICAL ECONOMY

• Rational politics: wealth can help the polis– If unbalanced, excess it

can corrupt the polis– Phases of economy:

• (1)Good economic:– Directed toward the use

of a product: farming, fishing

– Natural activity; not an end in itself

POLITICAL ECONOMY• (2)Trade and specialization:

– As result of progress of society.

– People produce products for goods by others: barter system

– Exchange is good• (3)Introduction of money to

the economy– Money simplify the barter– Money is harmful and

unnatural to polis if profit become the motives

POLITICAL ECONOMY• If money is invested to make

more money….ex. payment of interest– The focus of the use of value

(purpose of production) is lost

– Profit motive introduce injustice, unlimited desire for wealth

– Thus the natural relationship between economics and politics- the golden mean- is destroyed

• Thus, material goods are necessary

• But not allowed the material means to the higher end become the end

• Because the happiness of the soul is vastly superior to wealth

COMMUNITY

• Good life• Natural impulse• Reason for men desire to

live a social life• Common interest• Justice only in the actual

community• Justice is not in the

earthly representative of a heavenly form

COMMUNITY• All human must be part of

community• Purpose of community is to

preserve human life• Ultimate goal is the

happiness of the members• Thus community must

follow the golden mean: avoiding extremes and provide necessary conditions for good life

COMMUNITY

• Happiness: basic material needs, friendship, political stability.

• Three kind of society:– Household, wife, woman

and slave– Village– Polis

COMMUNITY• (1)Household:

– Originated from natural relationship

– Economically based on production for the use by family members.

– The end is family life including interdependence between husband and wife

– Husband and wife are not equal: reason: men are more dominant: Why? He is father, husband and master• Father :rule his children• Husband: rule wife constitutionally

and not despotically• Master: to slave

COMMUNITY• Slave: types:

– a. conventional • Have reason and qualifies for

citizenship• Defeated of their army in

warfare– b. natural

• Lacks reason and must be ruled permanently

• Unable to manage their own affairs

• Only better off if they obey their master

• Allow the master the leisure time necessary for citizenship

COMMUNITY

• (2). Village – A social community– A union of households– Ends: a. greater degree

of protection. b. economic self-sufficiency; production for exchange. C. greater friendship; for social harmony. The highest sort is based on equality.

COMMUNITY

• Polis:– The supreme form of

community with the highest purpose.

– It involve entire population

– Enable participation to reach the highest degree of happiness and virtue

– Most natural; overcome the limitations of family

COMMUNITY

• Polis:– However it cannot

replace the two lesser forms of community. They have natural functions.

– Ends: Good life; economic, social harmony and political happiness

– Money: for exchange; an autarky

COMMUNITY• Polis:

– An autarky: a self-sufficient economic unit ; no imports or export

– Everything can be made in the polis

– Based on specialized division of labour

– Autarky and Economics of Specialization help promote development of an ethical, well-rounded self of the member

COMMUNITY

• Polis :– Social: highest form of

friendship: political friendship

– They recognize their mutual interdependence

– Common desire to harmonize individual views and serve a higher telos.

POLITICAL FORM OF THE POLIS

• Permanent Rulers , even with great virtue and wisdom still a human: subject to emotional and appetitive passions, thus corruptible.

• Giving role to all free men – help to stabilize the government– Rely on collective wisdom


• Collective Capacity• Wealth and property– Inevitable– Class division; rich and poor; create instability– Mix of citizen talents can produce a blend of class

interests• Political equality:– Based on class contribution; talents; not wealth


• The rule of law– Must be rightly constituted, the final sovereign– Better than potentially arbitrary supremacy of the

rulers.• Constitution as a form of government– It prescribes the arrangement of offices,

distribution of functions and the determination of the sovereign are based on the telos of the polis


• Book IV: Actual Constitution and their varieties based on 158 constitutions of Greek city-states;– Based on the nature of the inhabitants – Forms of government


• His classification of government:– Who rules?• True or perverted

– Public interest and laws are supreme


• Power to rule:– One: ultimate decision in

a person– Few: authority through a

council– Many: legislate through

an assembly


• True constitution:– Telos is just, in public

interest of all, a number of classes are represented, law is supreme.

• Perverted: – dominated by the

private interest, will of rulers dominate the rule of law


• Monarchy– One virtuous person

rules, guided by a law that calls for rotation in office and directs decision making to the public interest

• Tyranny:– Arbitrary rule of a

permanent despot who is above the law

– Rule to suit his own personal interest

– Worst form of government

– The only possible form for large state of his time


• Aristocracy:– Ruled by the best few

who combine personal merit and wealth with the rule in the public interest

• Oligarchy:– Ruled by few and

wealthy but promote the interest of their own class


• Democracy:– A perverted constitution– Serves the lawless greed

of the many poor of free birth who constitute a majority.

– A mob rule ( mobocracy)– Least bad of the

perverted constitution

• Polity– The best possible form

of true constitution– A true forms for a

virtuous people to have– Reflects the reason and

moderation– It mixes quality and

quantity and merit and wealth with numbers


• Polity– A stable polity requires

the presence of a large middle class

– Combining the poorer segment of the wealthy class with the richer segment of the lower class

• Aristotle politics: as a demanding task involving rotation in political office for virtually all citizens at some time

• His stable government is based on good law and law-abiding citizen that reinforce stability: not majority support but no important faction or class favour violent change.

POLITICAL CHANGE• Why states decline? or not

able to reach their highest potential?– Corrupting factors:

• Ignorance• Passion• Absent of sufficient virtue

among the populace– Mere alliance: members live

at a distance from each other

– Where law is mere covenant.

• Suggestion:– Citizens must

understand the sources of the political weaknesses

– Must devote itself to the end of encouraging goodness

POLITICAL CHANGE

• Why decline?– Conflict over justice; How?

• Extremes of wealth– Loss of mean– Citizens are excessively

concerned with personal well-being rather than the polis

– Law only guarantee rights…not setting forth mutual obligations.

– Division of polis into economic class

– Violence and revolution

POLITICAL CHANGE

• Why decline?– The decay of spirit of

constitution. Why?• Citizens do not act with

the spirit of public interest

• Less respect to the spirit of law

• Government officials personally profit from the office

POLITICAL CHANGE

• Why decline?– Education must support

a sound constitutional structure and virtuous behaviour• Must teach moderation

and willingness to sacrifice for the common good

• Must prepare men for citizenship

• Must be lifelong

POLITICAL CHANGE

POLITICAL CHANGE• His advise to corrupt regimes: to slow the decline

– Divide and conquer the people– Create a strong spy system alert to opposition– Neutralize those who threaten their power– Encourage class hatred, even warfare btew rich and poor– Keep subjects strangers to one another– Association promoting friendship or community interests must be suppressed– Tyrant must appear as monarch in public– Should not flaunt his wealth by lavish personal sending– Must erect great public works for citizens to admire– provide continuing employment for the poor– Appear formally religious by openly worshipping the gods, observe rites and

practices

CONCLUSION

• His emphasis on superior role of collective participation rather than individual in politics.

• Emphasis on organic community where politics pervade all individual and social activity.

• Happiness, justice and true freedom only throu.gh participation in the good polis

• Change in polis in inevitable. Must preserve the stability. Delay the change.

Conclusion

• He recognizes that by nature some individuals are superior.

• He separate the task of philosophy from that of governing and advocates rule of law over the edicts of an all-wise ruler

• Aristotle does not replace Plato’s contribution. Plato serves Aristotle as a base, a source of ideas that he modifies to present a different perspectives. Both then influenced later successor philosopher.

THE END

CONTINUE AFTER BREAKDON’T FORGET YOUR ASSIGNMENT

HARD COPY AND SOFT COPY

topic 3 - aristotle

News & Politics