Aristotle Flashcards
What is the aim of associations
The function of association is to achieve some good that cannot be achieved by individual acting alone
Explain polis is prior to man by nature
Man cannot be man because you have to maximize your potential. Therefore, the polis is prior to man by nature since the pois is where individuals can attain their full potential and realize their human nature.
The polis comes to be out of the more primitive natural associations and it serves as their end because it attains self-sufficiency.
The city state is naturally prior to the individuals because individuals cannot perform their natural functions apart from the city-state since they are not self-sufficient.
Explain why man is a political animal
Man is political animal because it is equipped with language and speech that allows them to declare what is just and unjust or the concept of justice which is formative of the house-hold and city-state.
what is the nature of man according to aristotle (aside from political animal)
Man is best of all animals when he has reached his full development so he is worst of all when divorced from law and justice
How did aristotle justify slavery? And when is slavery unjust?
Slavery is just when the slave has no capacity to reason or deliberate. There are beings that lack this capacity to deliberate. Hence, slavery is justified and beneficial.
Unnatural slavery is when it is against the will of the enslaved as a consequence of war or conquest for example.
Man is either bees or god. Explain
Man is either bees, working together in polis to achieve common good or a god (does not need to live in society) since he is self-sufficient already
Who are the citizens
Citizen is someone who participates in giving judgment and shares office and participates in public affairs.
What is the end and purpose of polis? Expand the good life
The end and purpose of life is the good life and social life are means to that end.
The good life is the chief end for community and individually. Men form political associations merely for the sake of life. Hence, the polis must devote itself to the end of encouraging goodness.
Identify the constitutions based on quality and quantity
Best
Monarchy - one
Aristocracy - few
Polity - many
Worst
Tyranny - one
Oligarchy - few
Democracy - many
Explain distributive justice
Political power, privilege, and status should be distributed in proportion to the contribution that individuals make to the society’s purpose which is promotion of common good. Resources are distributed fairly and that individuals are rewarded in accordance with their abilities and efforts.
