Aristotle Flashcards
What is the main question of Aristotle?
Should all states be democratic, regardless of context?
What is the brief history of Aristotle?
Aristotle lived from 382 to 322 BC and was the main pupil Of plato. Originallyhe came from
Macedonia, a province/state in the north Of Greece; His father was the physical doctor Of King Philip, the king of Macedonia. He came from a well-to-do family. Alexander the Great was the son of King Philip. Alexander the Great had Aristotle as a teacher.
Later Aristotle moved to Athens to study in Plato’s Academy, He changed to philosophy but studied science in the broadest sense possible, Plato was an aristocratic boy, born and raised in Athens and belonging -to the upper class, but Aristotle was an outsider in Athens. The relationship between Plato and Aristotle was a love/hate relationship, The relationship with Plato was difficult, with differences and similarities. Later, Aristotle started his own school in philosophy: the Lyceum
What is Doxa?
Empirics, opinion many people had about things
How did Aristotle studied politics?
As is a practical field; how can you be a (good) politician? His other research questions were:
- What is ideally the best constitution?
- What is the best constitution for most existing city-states?
-What is the best constitution for a particular city-state (given history, tradition & population)?
- What is the best way to preserve a city state’s constitution?
What is the philosofical background of substance and form?
It is the work of the artist to give form to the substance; no substance can exist without a form, but some forms are better than other forms. Everything has a substance and a form.
What is the philosofical background of potentiality and actuality?
Marble has the potential to become a statue, but it is not yet. A rough substance has potential but after becoming a better form, it has actuality,
What is Telos?
An end, fulfilment, completion, goal or aim; it is the source of the modern word ‘teleology’
Teleology is not predictive or deterministic (not all babies will become an adult)
natural law
How does polis exist in book one, politica?
The polis exists by nature and is prior to the individual. In modern political science. the individual is the first building block of politics everything starts with the individual. The individual comes first, but for Aristotle, it is the opposite
What is a zoön politikon?
Man is by nature a zoön politikon: a political/social animal A man is not meant to live alone, but to live in a political environment
What does Aristotle think about human acts and associations?
All human acts and associations are aimed at some good.
People always have a purpose; they do something to achieve something good (for themselves),
What are ethics aimed after according by Aristolte?
Ethics = individual good; eudaimonia (happiness)
What are politics aimed after according by Aristolte?
Politics= common good; the good life (justice)
Why does the state exist?
People always have a purpose; they do something to achieve something good (for themselves)
What is a Virtue (arete)?
= (an) excellence of character
What is a Virtue (arete)?
characteristic
= (an) excellence of character (deugd, eigenschap, )
Virtues must be practiced/trained to beecome ‘second nature’
There are intellectual (prudence, wisdom, inside) and moral (honesty) virtues
What is the doctrine of the mean?
The idea that being virtuous depends on finding the middle or moderate behavior or attitude between two extremes of deficiency and excess.
The person who flees from every danger is cowardly; the person who does not flee from anything is rash.
Courage between cowardice and recklessness (but more to recklessness)
Provides a strategy that enables the individual agent to make choices disciplined by a state of character, which is cultivated by good habits
What does nature mean?
A natural, hierarchical order
What is the nature of the Polis?
- God(s)
- people
2A: (Free) men
2b: Women, children
2C Slaves. - Animals
- Plants
5 Anorganic materials
Who is a free men?
A free man possesses certain traits of character that allow him to govern. Involved in politics
What is Oikos?
A free man, a woman, childrenm and slaves together are a household (oikos). Oikos is based on marriage and property
What is a Polis
Multiple households are a village and mutliple villages are a city/state (polis)
What is Autarky?
Only the polis can be self-subsistence, can survive on its own: autarky
What is Aristotle’s idea of citizenship?
A citizen is a person who possesses the virtues of ruling and being ruled (or being ruled but not ruling). This means that we can easily identify noncitizens: These are individuals who do not have (or are not capable of having) the virtues
Aristotle’s definition of citizenship is tied tightly to his theory of the good human life and to his ethics of virtue. A good citizen in the ideal state is identical to the fully ethically virtuous person. For Aristotle, the virtues of living a good human life are the same as those needed to rule and be ruled in turn.
Not based on residence, access to courts, etc. but active
- ” the one Who is entitled to share in the deliberative or judicial office is thereby a citizen of that city”
The good man/person does necessarily be a good citizen. This depends on the regime/constitution. A regime is better when this is the case.
What is the best constitution according by Aristotle?
Monarchy. A wise king is ruling in the common interest, one person can decide quickly.
What is Anacyclosis?
An endless cycle of regimes:
Monarchy-tyranny-aristocracy-oligarchy-politeia-democracy-monarchy.
What are good and bad regimes?
Democracy is a good regime (instead of politeia) and ochlocracy is a bad regime (instead of democracy)
How can Anacyclosis be stopped?
Having a mixed regime
What is the best practically possible constitution accroding by Aristotle?
Politeia.
Not his ideal state, but it is:
- A mixed; democracy + oligarchy
- Strong middle class
- Rule of law
- Ostracism people who are too strong
are banned
What is wrong with the justice within democracies and Oligarchies?
Democracy: equality (free-born), numerical wrong, because it treats everybody always as equals!
Oligarchic: inequality (wealthy, so.w.): proportionate wrongly treats everybody always as unequal!
Both fall short of absoulte justice
What does Aristolte think about democracy?
There are two features which are generally held to define democracy. One of them is the sovereignty of the majority the other is the liberty of individuals.
What are the three types of good in book 7
- External goods
- Goods of the body
- Goods of the soul
What is the best life?
life of virtue ( goods of the soul) with sufficient of the others
What is Vita Contemplativa and Vita activa?
Vita contemp/ativa (thinking life, life of philosopher} > vita activa (life of the citizen) Both are good, but vita conternp/ativa is better
