How Do Plato And Aristotle Disagree About The Role Of The St
How do Plato and Aristotle disagree about the role of the state and what the best
Hello Guysi Need One Of The Qustions Below Answered In a Essay Format
Hello Guysi Need One Of The Qustions Below Answered In a Essay Format
Hello Guys, I need one of the qustions below answered in a Essay format Due Feb 14, 2017 I need it before 2:00 pm Length 3-4 pages It has to include a thesis and citations plus a proper bibliography Also let me know which question you are going to answer. Thank you. Answer ONE of the following questions in essay form, include a thesis and citations from the texts plus a proper bibliography citing your sources: 1) In the Republic how is the virtue of justice connected to politics by Plato? 2) According to Socrates what are the three essential parts of the soul and how do they correspond to the classes of the just society? 3) How do Plato and Aristotle disagree about the role of the state and what the best kind of government should be? 4) What is Aristotle’s explanation of the relationship between the state and the individual in his Politics ?
Paper For Above instruction
Plato and Aristotle, two towering figures of ancient Greek philosophy, have profoundly influenced Western political thought through their contrasting views on the role of the state and the nature of the best government. While both thinkers emphasize the importance of justice and the good life, their perspectives diverge significantly regarding how the state should function and the relationship between individual virtue and political organization. This essay explores these differences, illustrating how Plato's idealist vision contrasts with Aristotle's pragmatic approach, and how these differences continue to inform contemporary debates on governance.
Plato's conception of the state is rooted in his theory of justice as articulated in "The Republic." For Plato, justice is an essential virtue that manifests when individuals perform the roles that align with their innate nature. He envisions an ideal state where the ruling class—philosopher-kings—governs through wisdom, ensuring harmony and justice throughout society. Plato advocates for a highly structured, hierarchical society where the state's primary purpose is to cultivate the highest form of justice—riving the individual and the community towards the ultimate truth and goodness (Reeve, 2009). In this view, the state's role is to shape the moral and intellectual development of its citizens, emphasizing morality as central to political organization.
Contrastingly, Aristotle offers a more pragmatic and empirically grounded perspective in "Politics." He sees the state as a natural institution that develops organically from human associations to achieve the human good through practical means. For Aristotle, the state's role is to enable citizens to achieve eudaimonia—flourishing—by providing the necessary conditions for virtuous living. Unlike Plato's ideal state, which is characterized by rigid classes and strict roles, Aristotle advocates for a more flexible and inclusive polity that balances different classes and interests (Nicomachean Ethics, 1094a). He emphasizes the importance of a mixed constitution that incorporates elements of democracy and oligarchy to prevent tyranny and promote stability.
The disagreement between Plato and Aristotle fundamentally lies in their views of the state's purpose and the nature of justice. Plato's idealism posits that the state must be governed by philosopher-kings who possess knowledge of the Forms and can thus lead society toward ultimate truth. For him, the state is an instrument of moral and spiritual development, transcending individual interests for the sake of justice as a universal ideal. In contrast, Aristotle's pragmatic stance emphasizes the state's role in facilitating the good life through participatory governance and practical political arrangements. He regards the political community as an extension of human nature and insists that the best government balances the interests of various social classes to foster stability and virtue (Aristotle, 350 BCE).
Ultimately, the divergence between these philosophers reflects their differing metaphysical assumptions and visions of human nature. Plato's ideal state seeks to establish a utopian order governed by philosophical wisdom, emphasizing the pursuit of truth and moral perfection. Aristotle, on the other hand, advocates for a more attainable and realistic political model aimed at enabling citizens to achieve eudaimonia within a balanced polity. Both perspectives have significantly influenced subsequent political philosophy; Plato's emphasis on wisdom and justice informs ideals of moral leadership, while Aristotle's focus on practicality and political stability underpins modern notions of constitutional government. Their contrasting visions continue to serve as foundational references in the ongoing debate over the role and purpose of the state in human life.
References
- Aristotle. (350 BCE). Politics. Translated by Benjamin Jowett. Retrieved from https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/6762
- Reeve, C. D. C. (2009). Philosopher-Kings: The Argument for the Philosopher as King in Plato's Republic. Princeton University Press.
- Burnet, J. (1924). Plato's Republic. The Clarendon Press.
- Kraut, R. (2018). Aristotle: Political Philosophy. Oxford University Press.
- Brickhouse, T. C., & Smith, N. D. (2014). Readings in Ancient Greek Philosophy. Routledge.
- Annas, J. (1993). The Morality of Happiness: Political Philosophy in The Republic and The Nicomachean Ethics. Oxford University Press.
- Schofield, M. (2006). The State: Its Nature, Development and Structure. Routledge.
- Long, A. A. (2014). The Ethics of Aristotle: The Nicomachean Ethics. Oxford University Press.
- Klosko, G. (2006). The Development of Aristotle's Political Theory. Cambridge University Press.
- Walzer, M. (2004). Aristotle on Politics and Ethics. Princeton University Press.