. . we will perhaps grasp better what sort of political system is best. . ." .
By "the collected political systems" (Nicomachean Ethics X.9.1181b17), Aristotle means a collection of constitutional histories of 158 Greek city-states which Aristotle had prepared as a basis for his lectures on politics; by comparison, the United Nations currently recognizes only 174 independent nation-states on earth today. Of the 158 constitutional histories, only one, the Constitution of Athens, survives; scholars think that it was written by Aristotle himself. At any rate, Aristotle had a very large empirical database for his theorizing about politics.
2. The city exists by nature; a human being is by nature a political animal: The genus of a city is community, koinania; it is to be distinguished from such other communities as the husband-wife community, the master-slave community, the household, and the village or clan. Rather speculatively, Aristotle imagines the city having coming into being as the culmination as a process of development from household to village to city. While recognizing that human beings have not always lived in cities, and that in this sense they are products of human ingenuity (1253a31), Aristotle at the same time claims that the city exists by nature, and that a human being is by nature a political animal (1253a2-3). These claims are central to his conception of the function of a political system, and thus of what kind of political system is best (in general, given specific circumstances, given the best possible circumstances). His arguments for these claims are therefore worth examining in detail.
First argument: (1) The communities from which the city came into being (household, village) are natural. (2) The city is the completion of these communities. (3) Something's nature is the character it has when its coming to be is complete. Therefore, (4) every city is natural. [COMMENTS: (1) By calling the household and the village natural, Aristotle seems to mean that they are formed as the result of natural impulses for reproduction (1252a27-31), for self-preservation (1252a31-32), and for long-term advantage (1252b17).
Aristotle "The range of Aristotle's interest and intellect is extraordinary. ... When Aristotle was about ten years old his father died. ... Proxenus taught Aristotle Greek, rhetoric, and poetry. ... Through Aristotle's life he accomplished many works. ... For Aristotle, psychology was a study of the soul. ...
Aristotle Consider Aristotle to be one of the three greatest thinkers of all time. ... The relationship between Aristotle and Plato was bittersweet. ... Categories contains example of Aristotle's logic deduction. ... Aristotle calls this prime mover God. ... Aristotle was the image of all wisdom in ancient humanity. ...
Proxenus taught Aristotle Greek poetry and rhetoric's. ... These works were Aristotle's thoughts on logic. ... Aristotle called logic, analytics. ... Aristotle also had his own philosophy of nature. ... Aristotle rejects the definition of space as the void. ...
Aristotle Aristotle was one of the greatest philosophers of ancient Greece, and one of the greatest minds in human history. ... Aristotle was born in 384 BC to Nicomachus, a physician of Mayntas II of Macedon. ... Aristotle also came up with other very abstract theories. ... When Aristotle looked towards the sky, he realized they did not move in an up and down fashion. ... Aristotle retired to a family estate in Euboea in 322, and died one year later. ...
Weeks English 101 10/21/01 Aristotle was a student at the academy of Plato in Athens, from age 17 to 37. ... In the essay "A Definition of Justice" Aristotle tries to explain that justice is interpreted different by everyone. ... Aristotle bases his concept of justice on the idea of equality. ... Aristotle says that most men believe justice to be equality, but not for all, but only for equals. ... Many of Aristotle's ideas are still problems in society today. ...
Aristotle was a teacher and studied under Plato at the academy and attended his lectures for a period of twenty years. ... I believe that according to Aristotle, the state was the beginning of all. ... This is why I think that Aristotle believed the state came first. ... Aristotle wrote much about rationality and irrationality of humans, and how much of each we share with animals. ... Aristotle felt the city is more important than the individual in some ways and because the city exists for the sake of living well, virtue must be a care for the city. ...
Aristotle believed that a person who has difficulty behaving ethically is morally imperfect. ... According to Aristotle, we only should be praised and blamed for which we can be held responsible. ... In book IV, Aristotle points out that honor, pleasure, and wealth are the things believed to make people happy. ... By distributive justice, Aristotle means fairness in exchange and fairness in the distribution of goods. ... Furthermore, Aristotle argues that people act justly or unjustly voluntary. ...
Based on Aristotle's view of political science, politicians need to determine which sciences need to be in communities. ... They see this type of advance to be a great benefit to society, in agreement to Aristotle's view of political science. ... According to Aristotle, means are pursued to achieve certain aims. ... Aristotle would argue that their ends are being pursued for their own fulfillment rather than society as a whole. ... Politicians are currently trying to keep the main intent of political science based on Aristotle. ...
