Politics
Also known as Politiká, The Politics, or a Treatise on Government
Aristotle's 4th-century BC work of political philosophy on the city, citizenship and constitutions.
At a glance
Key ideas
The state is natural, Against Plato's communism, Who is a citizen …
See all 5Connections
Aristotle and Plato
See all 2
Also on this page: Key facts · Links · Sources · Related pages
- Politics is Aristotle's study of how people should best live together in communities, the polis being for him the best and most natural one.
- He draws on a collection of 158 city-state constitutions, an evidence-based approach that contrasts with Plato's Republic.
- He classifies constitutions by whether they serve the common good or the rulers, and by whether one, a few or many rule.
- The text is not polished for publication and may be assembled from shorter works and lecture notes.
Why it matters
- Its title is the origin of the English word politics, and its arguments on citizenship, the mixed constitution and the wisdom of the many are still discussed.
Key facts
- Author
- Aristotle1
- Written
- 4th century BC; at least part after the assassination of Philip II of Macedon in 336 BC, which it mentions1
- Structure
- Eight books, Bekker sections 1252a to 1342b1
- Companion work
- Often read as a continuation of the Nicomachean Ethics1
- English translations
- Benjamin Jowett (1885); William Ellis, as The Politics, or a Treatise on Government (Everyman's Library, 1912); Ernest Barker (1948); Carnes Lord (1984, 2nd ed. 2013); C.D.C. Reeve (1998)1
Key ideas
-
The state is natural1
The city arises to secure life and continues to secure the good life; "man is by nature a political animal".
-
Against Plato's communism1
Sharing property among the guardians would increase dissension, and sharing wives and children would destroy natural affection.
-
Who is a citizen1
Anyone "entitled to participate in office, deliberative or judicial".
-
The wisdom of the many1
The many, none of them sound alone, may together be better than the few.
-
Good and deviant constitutions1
Rule by one, few or many is good when it serves the common good and perverted when it serves only the rulers.
Connections
Written by
Related
- PlatoBook II criticises the regimes of Plato's Republic and Laws
Links
Sources
Last checked against its sources today
Is something on this page wrong or out of date? Tell us
The line under a date fills as time passes: empty when new, then one equal share each for a day, a week, a month and a year. For episodes and other items it is full at 2 years; for "last checked", at a year. A striped line means the date is known only to the month or year.