Greek Contributions to Western Political Thought
Name:________________________________Per.
Questions:
Jury Selection Machine
1. What does a jury do?
2. Why would it be important to select jurors randomly? How would that get you a fairer judgment?
3. What does the jury selection process tell you about how Greeks viewed the thinking and reasoning ability of their fellow
citizens?
Questions: Voting Stones
4. How did Greek citizens tell the government what they wanted?
5. What does the right to vote tell you about how Greeks viewed the thinking and reasoning ability of their fellow citizens?
Questions: Cartoons
6. Who rules in Athenian democracy?
7. Who doesn’t have a say in Athenian democracy?
8. What does that tell you about what ancient Greeks thought about each other?
Questions: Aristotle’s Politics
9. According to Aristotle, which is more important, the king or the law?
10. What are the three parts of government that Aristotle talks about?
11. What does each part have control over?
Deep Thinking Question: Answer on The back of this paper. Why would Aristotle think a government needed three parts?
Secondary Source Cartoon: Types of Government in Ancient Greece and Who is a Citizen
Thank you Mojo Nation for these fantastic drawings!
http://mojonation.wordpress.com/2013/05/13/fun-facts-about-voting/
Primary Source Artifact: Jury Selection Machine
The picture to the left is of a Greek jury sitting at a trial. A jury is a
group of citizen chosen to hear a legal case and then decide by voting if
the person on trial is innocent or guilty.
Below is a Kleroteria, a device used in ancient Greece to randomly
select jury members for trials.
When called to jury duty, each man presented himself at a room in the
Stoa where the presiding magistrate’s offices were housed along with
the jury-selection machine. There the citizen inserted a small, thin, lead
ribbon with his name written on it (the rectangular objects in the lower
left) into a slot in the jury-selection machine.
A funnel containing a number of white and black marbles was
then inserted into a hole in the upper-left corner of the tablet. The
marbles drained from the funnel into the hole and then down the
left side. At the beginning of each row of ID tags was a window
through which the resulting column of marbles could be seen.
Where a white marble came to rest indicated a row of selected
jurors. A black marble indicated a row of dismissed jurors.
The discs to the right were used as verdict ballots.
There were two types of ballots: the guilty ballot had a
small, solid knob in the center; the not-guilty ballot had
a small, hollow knob in the center. Jurors carried one of
each with them into the trial, which took place in a
nearby theater, such as the Theater of Dionysus at the
base of the Acropolis. They held the discs in their
hands with thumbs and fingers covering the knobs. At
the end of the trial, jurors dropped one of the ballots
secretly into a verdict box. All verdicts were by a simple majority.
Primary Source Artifact: Voting Stones
In the Greek political system, citizens were allowed to express their individual
opinions through the right to vote. Citizens would choose a white rock to
mean “yes” and a black rock to mean “no”, and they would cast their votes
into a vase.
Primary Source Quote: Aristotle’s Politics
“And the rule of law, it is argued, is preferable to that of any individual. On the same principle, even if it be
better for certain individuals to govern, they should be made only guardians and ministers of the law.”
Primary Source Document: Aristotle’s Politics- Book IV, Chapter XIV
All constitutions have three parts…. There is (1) one part which thinks about public affairs (a congress); secondly (2) that
[part] concerned with the… exercise [of] authority, and what should be the mode of electing … them; and thirdly (3) that
which has judicial power.
The congress has authority in matters of war and peace, in making and unmaking alliances; it passes laws, inflicts death,
exile, confiscation, elects executives and audits (investigates) their accounts.
Speaking generally, those are to be called [executives] to which the duties are assigned of deliberating about certain
measures and of judging and commanding, especially the last; for to command is the especial duty of an executive…. we
determine the nature of their powers…By powers I mean such powers as an executive exercises over the revenue or in
defense of the country; …. the power of the general…[and] that which regulates contracts in the market.
Of the three parts of government, the judicial remains to be considered… what kinds of law-courts are there? There are
eight in number: One (1) is the court that investigates the officers of the government; a second (2) considers ordinary
offenses against the state; a third (3) is concerned with treason against the constitution; the fourth (4) determines conflicts
over punishments, whether raised by the executive or by private persons; the fifth (5) decides the more important civil
cases; the sixth (6) tries cases of homicide, which are of various kinds, (a) premeditated, (b) involuntary, (c) cases in which
the guilt is confessed but the justice is disputed; and there may be a fourth court (d) in which murderers who have fled from
justice are tried after their return; (7) There are courts for strangers: of these there are two subdivisions, (a) for the
settlement of their disputes with one another, (b) for the settlement of disputes between them and the citizens. And besides
all these there must be (8) courts for small suits about sums of a drachma up to five drachmas (a small amount of money,
essentially, small claims court), or a little more, which have to be determined, but they do not require many judges.
Simplified Reading for Aristotle:
Quote:
People like the rule of law more than the rules made by one person…even if a community needs one person to rule, that
person should only guard the law and carry it out.
Politics, Book IV, Chapter XIV:
All governments have three parts…there is the Congress who make decisions about the needs of the people, the Leader
who enforces decisions and the judges who judge those decisions.
Congress has the power to make war and peace, alliances, laws and the power to send people away, order people to be
killed, to take things from people, to investigate the leader.
Leaders also have powers, the power to defend the country, get things done and regulate trade.
The judges hear cases on laws that were broken and make decisions about what the punishments should be. There are 8
different kinds of law courts.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
The court to investigate the government for corruption
The court to hear cases where the country has been harmed
The court to hear cases of treason
The court to decide conflicts between private persons
The court for civil cases (like divorce where no crime has been committed)
The court for cases when someone dies
The court for foreigners
Small claims court.
Plato’s Republic
The following is an excerpt from Plato’s The Republic, written in 380 BCE. In this
passage, the famous Greek philosopher Plato explains his idea for a just and fair
government through a conversation between his mentor Socrates and the
philosopher Glaukon.
“S: Let me tell you what is wrong with the governments of the world, and what the
simplest and best change is that will allow governments to become more just,
trustworthy, and fair.
G: Certainly
S: I want you to know that this change is very small, but it is not at all easy to
accomplish.
G: What is it?
S: This idea is likely to raise some eyebrows (be very controversial), but I’m going
to say it anyways. Before I do though, you have to promise not to drown out my
idea with laughter.
G: I promise. Please proceed
S: Philosophers (wise men) must be kings, or the kings and rulers of the world must
have the spirit and power of philosophy. Political greatness and wisdom must meet
together in one person, and the current leaders that desire to discriminate and
oppress must be compelled (forced) to stand aside. Until this new type of leader is
born, cities will never have rest from the evils of the kings and rulers of the world.
G: Socrates, what do you mean? You know that the words which you have spoken
will get you killed! Many people in very high positions of power would grab any
weapon that comes to hand and stab you to death if they heard such a thing!
S: Still, I should try to offer this advice. I think that if there is any chance for me to
survive I must explain to the people what I mean when I say that philosophers
should rule the State.
G: So who is a philosopher?
S: Philosophers have a strong love for knowledge over ignorance and opinion. They
will never intentionally receive into their minds falsehood (lies), and they will love
only the truth. Indeed, is there anything more closely related to wisdom than truth?
Yet philosophers do not possess this love for knowledge only. They possess this
love for all the beings of the earth. There is no part of humanity, greater or lesser,
that they are willing to reject (abandon). It will be discovered that some are born
with the nature and personality to be philosophers. These must be leaders in the
government. The others, no matter how rich their family or their social class, are
meant to be followers rather than leaders.
G: So someone that has a taste (enjoys) for every kind of knowledge, and who is
always curious to learn is a philosopher. And we must also say that a philosopher is
a lover, but not just a lover of wisdom, but a lover of all people and things.
S: Yes, dear friend. And do not be angry with me for speaking the truth. A man
who really fights for justice must speak the truth even if he is to survive for only a
short time as a result.
Source: The Republic. Written by Plato in 380 BCE
Name________________
Per._____
Guiding Questions
Plato’s Republic
1. Summarize: According to Socrates/Plato, what change must happen for the governments of the world
to become more fair and just?
2.
Describe. According to Socrates/Plato, what is a philosopher (ie. what features to philosophers
possess)?
3. Discuss: Looking at Plato’s definition of a philosopher, why would a philosopher make a good leader?
4. Explain: How is Socrates/Plato’s idea to fix the governments of the world received by Glaukon? Why
do you think this is?
5. Analyze: In what ways do you think the ideas expressed in Plato’s Republic influenced Western political
thought?
Aristotle’s Politics
The following is an excerpt from Politics written by the Greek philosopher Aristotle
in 360 BCE. In this passage, Aristotle discusses what makes good and bad
governments.
“The best and most just forms of government are those where either the one, or the
few, or the many govern with what is in the best interests of all people in mind.
Governments that rule with only their own interests in mind, or with only the
interests of a small minority of people in mind, are perversions (corrupt and
wrong). In a just State (country), all citizens should be able to benefit from the
actions of the government.
The form of just (good) government where one person rules is called a kingship,
and is made up of a wise and noble king. The form of just government where more
than one but still not many rule is called an aristocracy and this is made up of the
best men that have the best interests of the people in mind. The good form of
government where all citizens run the government for the common interests of all is
called a constitutional democracy. However, the constitutional democracy is the
worst of the good forms of government. This is because one man or a few can easily
govern in a fair and just way; but as the number increases it becomes more difficult
for men to agree and to work together in an honorable and virtuous (noble) way for
the good of all.
Each just government has its own perversion (bad form). Tyranny is the perversion
of kingship where the king has only his own interests in mind. Oligarchy is the
perversion of aristocracy where the only the interests of the rich are represented.
Mob rule democracy is the perversion of constitutional democracy where the poor
and the ignorant terrorize all others.
Source: Politics. Written by Aristotle in 360 BCE.
Name__________________________Per. ______________
Guiding Questions
Aristotle’s Politics
1. Describe: According to Aristotle, what is the key feature of a just (good) government? What is the key
feature of a bad (perversion) government?
2.
Identify. According to Aristotle, what are the three just (good) forms of government?
3. Explain: According to Aristotle, what is the worst of the good forms of government? Why is this?
4. Identify: According to Aristotle, what are the three bad (perversion) forms of government?
5. Analyze: In what ways do you think the ideas expressed in Aristotle’s Politics influenced Western
political thought?