In Defense of Inequality 1:It’s Natural!
Aristotle’s Politics
Aristotle
1. Biographical Sketch2. The Polis and the Political Stature
of Man/Woman3. Teleology4. Natural Slavery
Aristotle Biographical Overview
384-322 B.C.E. Born in Macedonia, to
wealthy parents connected to the royal household
Studied with Plato for 17 years
Tutor to Alexander the Great 343-335 B.C.E.
335/4 returned to Athens and founded own school – the Lyceum
I. The Polis and the Political Stature of Man/Woman
The Politics is an attempt to understand the essence of political life
Contrast that with Plato’s Republic Where Plato provided an account
of what politics should be, Aristotle grounds that understanding on the facts of “real world” political life
I. The Polis and the Political Stature of Man/Woman “EVERY STATE is a community of some kind, and
every community is established with a view to some good; for mankind always act in order to obtain that which they think good. But, if all communities aim at some good, the state or political community, which is the highest of all, and which embraces all the rest, aims at good in a greater degree than any other, and at the highest good… We must therefore look at the elements of which the state is composed, in order that we may see in what the different kinds of rule differ from one another, and whether any scientific result can be attained about each one of them.
(Book I, chapter 1).
I. The Polis and the Political Stature of Man/Woman
“We must therefore look at the elements of which the state is composed Contrast with Plato; importance here
of empirical evidence City => association that aims at
highest good Politics => activity that happens in a
city
I. The Polis and the Political Stature of Man/Woman
Two ideas we need to develop here:1. How do we know the state is the
“highest community?”2. How do we know what is the
“highest good”?
I. The Polis and the Political Stature of Man/Woman
Authoritative Association Every association aimed at some end
Family (Book I, chp. 2, 1252b) Town (Book I, chp. 2, 1252b) City/Polis (Book I chp. 2, 1253a)
I. The Polis and the Political Stature of Man/Woman
The FamilyStructure
Two associations:Male/FemaleRuler/Ruled
End of Family? Reproduction (1st association)“needs of daily life” (2nd association)
I. The Polis and the Political Stature of Man/Woman
The VillageStructure
Groupings of familiesEnd of the village?
Reproduction“needs of daily life”
I. The Polis and the Political Stature of
Man/WomanThe CityThe City
–SS Structure:Structure:GG Groupings of villages (Book 1, chp. 2)Groupings of villages (Book 1, chp. 2)
–EE End of the city?End of the city?–RR Reproduction?Reproduction?–““ needs of daily life?needs of daily life?
End of the city = not just life or living, End of the city = not just life or living, but living but living the “good life.” the “good life.”
I. The Polis and the Political Stature of Man/Woman The Polis: “When several villages are united in a
single complete community, large enough to be nearly or quite self-sufficing, the state comes into existence, originating in the bare needs of life, and continuing in existence for the sake of a good life.”(Book 1, chp. 2. 1252b).
Authoritative Association
Authoritative Association The authoritative or sovereign
association is one that decides the aims of other (smaller or constitutive) associations
Thus the polis exists prior to the individual
I. The Polis and the Political Stature of Man/Woman
Authoritative Association:
“Further, the state is by nature clearly prior to the family and to the individual, since the whole is of necessity prior to the part; for example, if the whole body be destroyed, there will be no foot or hand, except in an equivocal sense, as we might speak of a stone hand; for when destroyed the hand will be no better than that… The proof that the state is a creation of nature and prior to the individual is that the individual, when isolated, is not self-sufficing; and therefore he is like a part in relation to the whole. (Book 1, chp. 2, 1253b).
I. The Polis and the Political Stature of Man/Woman
“But he who is unable to live in society, or who has no need because he is sufficient for himself, must be either a beast or a god: he is no part of a state.” (Book 1, chap. 2, 1253b).
I. The Polis and the Political Stature of Man/Woman Virtue is that aspect of something that
enables it to develop itself and to achieve its final end.
Virtuous person is one with properties that enable him/her to develop fully human capacities.
Good polis, then, is one which fosters virtue.
Polis is the authoritative good since it allows for the development of our fully human capacities.
I. The Polis and the Political Stature of Man/Woman
“For what each thing is when fully developed, we call its nature, whether we are speaking of a man, a horse, or a family. Besides, the final cause and end of a thing is the best, and to be self-sufficing is the end and the best. Hence it is evident that the state is a creation of nature, and that man is by nature a political animal. ” (Book 1, chp. 2, 1253a)
I. The Polis and the Political Stature of Man/Woman
Aristotle’s View of the Polis vs. Modern Conceptions Today we view politics as a means of
insuring private good We use politics for selfish ends
For Aristotle, man is a political animal, political life is part of the individual
I. The Polis and the Political Stature of Man/Woman Politics means getting together in public
and deciding what we ought to do this activity allows for development of virtue
where virtue is a public activity How do we know the essence of human
species? “He who thus considers things in their first growth
and origin, whether a state or anything else, will obtain the clearest view of them. (Book 1, chp. 2)
Need to develop this idea more fully
II. Teleology
1. Everything in nature is ordered, exists for a purpose
2. Everything has a nature, and built into each nature is an end (telos)
3. Acorn example, again4. How to know end?
Observation
5. How to know what to observe?
II. Teleology
“It is in things whose condition is according to nature that one ought particularly to investigate what is by nature, not in things that are defective. Thus the human being to be studied is one whose state is best both in body and in soul…” (Book 1, chp. 5, 1254a)
II. Teleology Man -- in right sort of polis -- can grow
to be “full” human where “full” means achieving full human potential Contrast with contemporary conceptions
where politics is private; a means to secure private interest
For Aristotle, the private is simply a means to sustain politics. Politics is what is really important, so need to subordinate private life to public life
II. Teleology
Politics is a public activity indeed it is the activity which distinguishes us from other social animals What is politics? Why is it special?
II. Teleology Politics is:
Activity where people decide and then act on the decision
Based on rational persuasion, not coercion
(logos =speaking = only possible with other humans)
Our humanity is only attainable in political setting
II. Teleology
“One who is incapable of participating or who is in need of nothing through being self-sufficient is no part of a city, and so is either a beast or a god” (Book 1, chp. 2, 1253a).
Conducted only between equals
II. Teleology
Our humanity is attainable only in the polis
Raises question: who should be included in politics?
III. Natural Slavery
Recall Point II.1: Nature has an order
Order is hierarchical
The Chain of Being
pond scum
The Chain of Being
pond scum
insects
The Chain of Being
pond scum
insects
reptiles
The Chain of Being
pond scum
insects
reptiles
mammals
The Chain of Being
pond scum
insects
reptiles
mammals
human beings
III. Natural Slavery Why should we suddenly become
standardless as we cross human threshold?
No reason for egalitarianism Not everybody is able to take care
of themselves so ...
III. Natural Slavery Slavery, under the right conditions,
is natural Slavery is just insofar as some people
are slaves by nature Slavery indispensable to good polis Politics is a leisure activity
III. Natural Slavery Unless we have one class permanently
engaged in producing the sustenance necessary for life, nobody is able to attain the good life and thus to achieve the proper end of the species. Question of how to distribute burdens of
labor and leisure Slaves do all the manual work, masters
develop into “full” human beings Good polis needs slaves
IV. Conclusion & Segue What is the good polis? How would we determine the
nature of the good polis?
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