Aristotle The Polis: Book I

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AristotleThe Polis Book I

• PHIL 1003
• 2008-09

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Key Ethical Political Terms

• Nature
• Polis
• Hierarchy
• Virtue
• The Good
• Happiness (final end of man)
• Final Cause/EndTelos

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What is the polis?

• Greek city-state
• Aristotle a special kind of association

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Definition of the polis

• Every state is a community of some kind, and
  every community is established with a view to
  some good for everyone always acts in order to
  obtain that which they think 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 (Pol. 1.1).
• a partnership of citizens in the constitution
  (3.3)
• The state (polis) is NATURAL.

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Relation of state to nature of man

• man is by nature a political animal (emph.
  added Pol. I.2)
• Therefore man is intended by nature for a social
  life
• Anyone who is not social is either a beast or a
  god (Pol. 1.2)
• Man has speech and reason (Logos) given by
  nature he can therefore judge
• Just/unjust
• Expedient/inexpedient

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Key characteristics of the polis

• Community
• All-embracing
• Whole greater than sum of parts
• Hierarchical
• Aims at good in a greater degree
• Not just any good
• Polis aims at highest goodwhich is???

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What polis is not

• Not a
• Trade association
• Defense organisation, e.g. Sparta
• Geographical area, e.g. HKSAR
• Ethnic group, e.g Cantonese
• the identity of a city is not constituted by
  its walls (Pol. III.3).

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What are your affiliations?

• Family?
• Other community, e.g. church?
• State?

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Two Ways to Understand Polis

• Historically
• Household master rules wife, slaves, children
• Villages ruled by chief or king monarchical
• City equal citizens rule in turns as statesmen
  constitutional rule
• Different kinds of rule in different
  organizations.

• Organically
• Body-polis Analogy
• The polis is the body, the whole that is prior to
  the parts
• The citizens are the interdependent parts
• Whole could do w/out some parts, but parts cannot
  do w/out whole.

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Hierarchy Its Justification
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Aristotles view of slavery

• Politics, 1.6
• 28-30 October

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Each persons fundamental attributes are by
nature.

• Natural attributes differ.
• Therefore Hierarchy is natural.

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So what is the role of

• NURTURE?
• EDUCATION?
• FAMILY?

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Contrast egalitarian thoughtAll men were
created equal

• The ancient thinkers could never write this they
  would never think this way!