Outline of Today’s Lecture
Man is a political animal
Slavery
Ch.3: distinction between household and polis
Bk. III: Citizenship
Regime types
Aristotle’s contextualism
1
Importance of nature: “nature does nothing in vain” p. 43
The Politics, Bk. I
Ch 1. Household–>Village—>Polis
Partnership: koinonia
“the household is the community constituted by nature for the needs of daily life” p. 42
“the first community arising from several households and the for the sake of non-daily needs is the village” p. 42
“the first community arising from several villages is the city” p. 43
Mere life” vs “the good life”
“all communities aim at some good…” p. 41
Ch. 2 “Man is by nature a political animal” p. 43
“man alone among the animals has speech” p.43
“he alone has a perception of good and bad and just and unjust…” p. 43
2
Aristotle on Slavery
“Thus by nature, most things are ruling and ruled…” p. 59
Aristotle’s method:
“Some hold that…” vs. “others hold that…” pp. 44-45
(See also Book I, Chapters 5 and 6)
The real problem with slavery: directive, not deliberative! (Book I, ch. 7)
“Political rule is over free and equal persons,” p. 49
“nothing great or dignified about [slavery]” p. 49
“those who suppose that the same person is expert in political rule…” p. 41
3
Bk I, Ch. 3 Distinction between household and polis
Household is the realm of natural hierarchy, unlike the city (eg. Slavery)
But political rule is different from mastery, not the rule of inferiors by superiors, but the rule of equals by equals
Political rule is deliberative, NOT directive!
4
Bk. III: Citizens and Regimes
Who is a citizen?
Selective notion of citizenship
The city or regime is a partnership/community (koinonia)
“the city is not a community sharing a location and for the sake of not committing injustice against each other and conducting trade.” p. 107
Exists not just for the sake of living, but “living well” p. 107
Partaking in decision and office (p. 95), Practice of virtue in “ruling and being ruled” Chs. 1 and 4; p. 115
Why are “vulgar” persons (banausoi) not able to be good citizens? Ch. 5, p. 101
5
Ch. 6: Discussion of regime types
3 criteria of evaluation:
Serve common advantage?
Justice in allocation of office?
Telos/purpose of partnership: good life?
Rule by 1 Rule by few Rule by many
Just Monarchy Aristocracy Polity
Unjust Tyranny Oligarchy Democracy
6
p. 104: “when the one or the few or the many rule with a view to the common advantage…”
P. 115: “If there is one person so outstanding…”
p. 104: “rule of the few….”
108: “Those who contribute most to a partnership of this sort have a greater part in the city ….”
Pp. 109-110: “For having them take part in the greatest offices is not safe…”
P. 110: “do not allow them to rule alone…once mixed with those who are better…”
P. 111: “Hence, persons from the lowest assessments…”
7
Aristotle’s contextualism
What is ideally just vs. what is possible
Respect for limitations of human world
8
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