This document provides an overview of Aristotle and his political philosophy. Some key points: - Aristotle studied under Plato and was concerned with why the Greek city-state declined as a form of government. - His method involved studying many actual city-states to determine the "telos" or highest purpose of political communities. - He viewed humans as rational and political animals who require community to achieve happiness. The ideal political community for humans is the polis or city-state. - Aristotle analyzed different forms of government and constitutions, preferring a "polity" that mixes rule by the one, few and many to best serve the public interest over private interests.

1. ARISTOTLE
384-322 B.C

2. Mind Map

3. Mind Map

4. Introduction
• His method
• Human nature
• Political economy
• Community
• Political forms of the
polis
• Political change

5. 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?”

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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.

13. 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

14. 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

15. Human nature

16. 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

17. 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

18. 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

19. 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

20. 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

21. 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

22. COMMUNITY
• Happiness: basic
material needs,
friendship, political
stability.
• Three kind of society:
– Household, wife, woman
and slave
– Village
– Polis

23. 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

24. 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

25. 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.

26. 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

27. 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

28. 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

29. 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.

30. 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

31. POLITICAL FORM OF THE POLIS
• 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

32. POLITICAL FORM OF THE POLIS
• 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

33. POLITICAL FORM 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

34. POLITICAL FORM OF THE POLIS
• His classification of government:
– Who rules?
• True or perverted
– Public interest and laws are supreme

35. POLITICAL FORM OF THE POLIS
• Power to rule:
– One: ultimate decision in
a person
– Few: authority through a
council
– Many: legislate through
an assembly

36. POLITICAL FORM OF THE POLIS
• 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

37. POLITICAL FORM OF THE POLIS
• 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

38. POLITICAL FORM OF THE POLIS
• 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

39. POLITICAL FORM OF THE POLIS
• 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

40. POLITICAL FORM OF THE POLIS

41. POLITICAL FORM OF THE POLIS
• 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.

42. 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

43. 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

44. 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

45. 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

46. POLITICAL CHANGE

47. 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

48. 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.

49. 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.

50. THE END
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