Ancient and Medieval Political Theory
Midterm Exam Study Sheet
Midterm: October 7, 2015
Short Answer Section. The following terms are to help you in preparing for the short
answer section of the midterm. There will be 10 short answer questions, of which you are
to answer 8 (5 points each).
Free square/market place
Male/female, master/slave
Political animal
Plato's Republic
Aristotle's critique of Plato
reason
teleology
theory of virtue
slavery
citizen
Constitutional stability
Self-sufficiency
On private life (Seneca)
Constitutional stability
self-sufficiency
healthy/corrupt constitutions
middle class constitution
theory of education
Aristotle, Seneca on anger
anger and reason
great mind
curing anger
mercy defined
sternness/mercy vs. cruelty/pity
mercy and kingship
On Favors (Seneca)
Essay Question. Two of the following three will be on the exam. You are to write on one
of those two (60 points).
1. Aristotle argues that faction is a major destabilizing factor for constitutions. What are
some of the factions Aristotle discusses and how do they tend to result in the dissolution
of the good forms of constitution? What measures does Aristotle propose to make it less
likely that a good constitution will become a corrupt form? Elaborate.
2. Compare Aristotle and Seneca on their view of the passions, especially anger. In
particular, how can the state (or governance) suffer when the passions are mismanaged?
What would be some examples of such mismanagement, for both Seneca and Aristotle?
How should the passions be managed—notably, anger—and what would be some
examples of the similarities and differences of Aristotle’s and Seneca’s views on this
theme?
3. Seneca is one of the most important Stoic philosophers. From the readings in class,
characterize what you take to be the central tenets of Seneca’s stoicism. How is this
stoicism expressed in at least two of the essays we read? Be sure to elaborate and bring in
examples.