The Politics: A Treatise on Government

The Politics of Aristotle is the second part of the treatise written by Aristotle, of which Ethics is the first part. Aristotle believed that Politics follows Ethics as a general rule. He believed that Ethics are necessary for a human being to live a fulfilling life, but he also thought that they are not enough to live a fruitful life. In this part of his treatise, he expands on the notion that Politics isn’t a struggle for power or order. Instead, it is a study of the existing institutions without judgment and without looking to change it.

According to Aristotle, this is what makes Politics and Government stable and valuable. Any other expectation in terms of making these two entities perfect only leads to dissatisfaction due to impracticability. Like his mentor and teacher, Plato, Aristotle wasn’t a proponent of the concept of democracy. This treatise contains descriptions of democracy, oligarchy, and the stately constitution as being a healthy mix of the two, with each book being either idealist or realist – never both at the same time.

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Rafbók: 1 juli 2022