Introduction to Political Philosophy

Civic Excellence, Happiness, and the State

As you read the material for the next class, keep the questions below in mind. To answer these questions you will have to reflect critically on what you have read and possibly re-read important passages. Keep in mind that there are two basic kinds of information that you need to look for in the readings.

  1. What are the main points or conclusions that an author accepts with respect to a particular issue?
  2. What are the reasons or important considerations that lead the author to accept that conclusion?

For our purposes, it is information of the latter sort (2) that will be our primary concern since our most basic task is to evaluate the reasons that are offered to support accepting one possible conclusion about an issue, rather than another. Although I strongly suggest that you write out brief answers to these questions, you do not have to turn in written responses. You do, however, need to be prepared to speak intelligently to these issues in the next class meeting.

Reading:

  • Aristotle, The Politics from Stephen Everson (ed.), The Politics and the Constitution of Athens, Books III (Chapters 1, 3-4, 6-12) and VII (Chapters 1-3, 13-14), pp. 61-63, 64-68, 69-80, 166-171, 184-188.

Questions:

  1. According to Aristotle, what is a citizen? What are the excellences of a citizen and how are they related to the moral excellences of a person? How is this related to Aristotle’s later discussions of happiness? What is the purpose of the state? Is it to make us happy? Or virtuous? Or what? Why is education essential for this?
  2. What makes a “true” form of government? What makes a “perverted” form? What six forms of government does Aristotle consider? Why defines an oligarchy and what defines a democracy?
  3. Explain Aristotle’s discussion of democratic rule. Under what circumstances is it permissible? Why? When is it not permissible? What is supposed to “really” rule a city, so as to protect against tyranny (of either the majority or the tyrant)?
  4. How are the benefits of society supposed to be justly distributed? How does the example of the flute players illustrate this?

 

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