In Defense of Inequality 1:
It’s Natural!
Aristotle’s Politics
Aristotle
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2.
3.
4.
Biographical Sketch
The Polis and the Political Stature of
Man/Woman
Teleology
Natural Slavery
Aristotle
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Biographical Overview
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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
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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
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“We must therefore look at the elements of which
the state is composed
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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
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Authoritative Association
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Every association aimed at some end
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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 Family
Structure
Two associations:
Male/Female
Ruler/Ruled
End of Family?
Reproduction (1st association)
“needs of daily life” (2nd association)
I. The Polis and the Political
Stature of Man/Woman
The Village
Structure
Groupings of families
End of the village?
Reproduction
“needs of daily life”
I.
The Polis and the Political
Stature of Man/Woman
The City
–S
Structure:
G
Groupings of villages (Book 1, chp. 2)
–E End of the city?
–R Reproduction?
–“
needs of daily life?
End of the city = not just life or living, but living
the “good life.”
I. The Polis and the Political
Stature of Man/Woman
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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
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Authoritative Association
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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
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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
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Aristotle’s View of the Polis vs. Modern
Conceptions
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Today we view politics as a means of
insuring private good
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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
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Politics means getting together in public and
deciding what we ought to do
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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
Everything in nature is ordered, exists
for a purpose
Everything has a nature, and built into
each nature is an end (telos)
Acorn example, again
How to know end?
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5.
Observation
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
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Man -- in right sort of polis -- can grow to be
“full” human where “full” means achieving full
human potential
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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
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Politics is:
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Activity where people decide and then act
on the decision
Based on rational persuasion, not coercion
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(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).
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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
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Recall Point II.1:
Nature has an order
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Order is hierarchical
The Chain of Being
pond scum
The Chain of Being
insects
pond scum
The Chain of Being
reptiles
insects
pond scum
The Chain of Being
mammals
reptiles
insects
pond scum
The Chain of Being
human beings
mammals
reptiles
insects
pond scum
III. Natural Slavery
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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
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Slavery, under the right conditions, is
natural
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Slavery is just insofar as some people are
slaves by nature
Slavery indispensable to good polis
Politics is a leisure activity
III. Natural Slavery
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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.
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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
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What is the good polis?
How would we determine the nature of
the good polis?