Politics (Aristotle)
Aristotle's treatise on the polis and political community.
Politics (Ancient Greek: Πολιτικα, Politiká) is a work of political philosophy by Aristotle, a 4th-century BC Greek philosopher. The work examines how people should best live together in communities, with the polis seen as the best and most natural community for humans. It is frequently considered part of a larger treatise with the Nicomachean Ethics, dealing with the 'philosophy of human affairs.'
- field
- Political philosophy
- nationality
- Macedonian
- work_type
- Philosophical treatise
- structure
- Eight books, Bekker sections 1252a to 1342b
Lore & Background
Aristotle was Macedonian and attended Plato's Academy in Athens for about twenty years. He returned to Macedonia in part to tutor a young Alexander the Great, then went back to Athens to found his own school, the Lycaeum. Though he spent most of his life and career in Athens, he was never an Athenian citizen, but a resident alien with few political rights; he could not own property. Throughout his life, he was never a fully-fledged citizen of any Greek polis. As a Macedonian and tutor to Alexander, he was well-placed in the good graces of political leadership until Athens challenged Macedonian power, and he went into exile to avoid anti-Macedonian attack.
Reader's Guide
The Politics is notable for its evidence-based, descriptive approach, contrasting with Plato's more idealistic method. The work is not a polished publication; it may have been assembled from shorter works, marginal notes, or lecture notes from the Lyceum. The work's title, meaning 'the things concerning the polis,' is the origin of the modern English word politics. Aristotle's hierarchical system considers politics, the study of communities, of higher priority than ethics, which concerns individuals.
Did You Know?
- The Politics spans Bekker sections 1252a to 1342b.
- Aristotle was never a fully-fledged citizen of any Greek polis.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Politics (Aristotle)?
It is a 4th-century BC philosophical treatise in which Aristotle investigates how human beings should best organize their shared communal life. The work treats the polis as the highest and most natural form of human community, making it a foundational text of political philosophy.
How is the work structured?
Politics runs across eight books, spanning Bekker sections 1252a through 1342b. It progresses from the household and village up through the various constitutional forms and the ideal regime.
How does Politics connect to the Nicomachean Ethics?
Scholars typically read the two as a single extended treatise on the philosophy of human affairs. The Nicomachean Ethics establishes individual virtue, while Politics extends that same inquiry to the communal and political level.
What is the central argument of the work?
Aristotle insists that the polis is not an artificial convenience but the natural setting in which humans can fully flourish. He famously concludes that the human being is by nature a political animal, capable of reaching its highest potential only within a well-ordered community.
Why is Politics considered important in the history of philosophy?
It provided the first systematic analysis of constitutions, citizenship, and the good political life in the Western tradition. Its framework for evaluating regimes and the role of the citizen continues to shape political theory from medieval scholasticism through modern democratic thought.
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