The Old Science of Politics

1
The Old Science ofPolitics

• Aristotle
• and
• The Teleological City

2
Platos Best City

• If the highest good is the proper telos of man,
  then cities must be ordered to lead men to the
  highest good.
• The only legitimate ruler, therefore, is the one
  who seeks the highest gooda lover of wisdom
• The Philosopher King
• Ironically he who seeks the highest good is least
  of all concerned with the affairs of the city.

3
The corruption of regimes

• Philosophical Kingshipthe One who knows (and
  loves) the True, the Good, the Beautiful
  (contemplates the realm of Eternal Forms)
• Aristocracyrule by the best in the city
• Timocracyrule of honor
• Oligarchyrule by the few
• Democracyrule by the many
• Tyrannyrule by the usurper, usually one

4
Aristotle Objects!

• Platos corruption of regimes does not match
  human experience.
• Democracies have been overthrown by Oligarchies
  (Athens by Corinth), and Oligarchies by Tyrants
  (Corinth by Philip of Macedon)
• Philosophical Kingship is an impossible city
• Monarchies and Tyrannies, Oligarchies and
  Aristocracies easily confused in human experience

5
Aristotles Politics

• Human beings always found in ordered communities
• Even households are ordered communities
• Human beings cannot live long in isolation
• Ergo, man must be political by nature
• Those who are totally self-sufficient (i.e. they
  need no human contact of any kind) are either
  superhuman or subhuman
• All human beings seek that which they think is
  good
• All communities are ordered towards some good

6
Households v. Cities

• Relations in the Household
• Husband/wife
• Parents/children
• Child/child
• Master/slave

• Social Classes
• The One (monad)
• The Few (oligoi)
• The Many (demos)

WHAT?!

• Types of Power
• Monarchic power
• Oligarchic power
• Political power
• Despotic power

• Power in the City
• Ruler/ruled
• Rule by one
• Rule by few
• Rule by many

7
OK, Try Again

• Who Rules?

• For Whose Good?

8
Building Aristotles Cities

• Who Rules?
• One
• Few
• Many

• For Whose Good?
• The Citys Good
• The Rulers Good

What about the good of the Ruled? What happens
if a Ruler rules for the good of the Ruled and
ignores his own good?
9
Virtuous and Defective Cities

• Who Rules?
• One
• Few
• Many

For Whose Good?
Monarchy
Tyranny
?
Aristocracy
Oligarchy
Democracy
10
The Problem

• How to ensure that the many rule for the good of
  all?

Who Rules? One Few Many
11
The Mixed Regime

• The One

The Few
The Many
In Aristotles Mixed Regime, Each part of the
city both rules and is ruled in turn