Political Theory Paper 2: Please Respond To The Following To
Political Theory Paper 2 Please Respond To The Following Topic
Political Theory Paper 2 Please respond to the following topic in 5 double-spaced pages. Put your paper in the dropbox by Nov. 1, 11am. The goal of Aristotle’s Politics is to determine what the best regime is, and then what the best possible regime is. Aristotle goes through a process to get to the answer to his query.
He asks the following set of questions: 1) what is the highest good? 2) What is the best human being? 3) What is the best citizen? 4) What is the best regime? 5) What is the best possible regime?
In answering all of these questions, Aristotle reveals that politics is a subset of ethics, and that the purpose of the political regime is to develop the best persons morally, an idea that is foreign to our way of thinking about politics. Answer each of the five questions above, using the text of the Politics to support your answers. And conclude the paper by assessing whether Aristotle succeeds in determining what the best regime is, and what the best possible regime is. You will need to quote and cite the Politics properly. Remember, this is not a research paper, so secondary sources are not necessary or recommended.
Paper For Above instruction
In Aristotle’s Politics, the pursuit of the highest good and the creation of the best regime are intertwined with the development of moral virtue and the cultivation of the best persons and citizens. Through a detailed examination of these questions, Aristotle articulates a comprehensive vision of political life aimed at achieving the ultimate human good—the good life or eudaimonia. This paper will explore each of Aristotle’s questions in turn, quoting and citing the Politics extensively to support the analysis, and conclude by evaluating whether Aristotle’s framework successfully identifies the optimal political regimes.
What is the highest good?
For Aristotle, the highest good is eudaimonia, often translated as happiness or human flourishing. In Book I of the Politics, Aristotle emphasizes that all human activity aims at some good, with the highest good being self-sufficient and the final end of everything (Aristotle, Politics, 1095a). He states, “happiness, then, is the highest good of all, and the goal of all our actions” (Aristotle, Politics, 1097b). Eudaimonia is achieved through living a life of virtue, aligning moral excellence with active participation in political and social life.
What is the best human being?
The best human being, according to Aristotle, is one who lives a virtuous life in accordance with reason—the rational activity that distinguishes humans from other beings. In Book II, he delineates virtues as dispositions that enable individuals to act in moderation and to pursue the mean between excess and deficiency (Aristotle, Politics, 1106b). Such a person exhibits qualities like courage, temperance, and justice, which collectively promote moral excellence. The virtuous person is also morally upright and actively contributes to the good of the polis.
What is the best citizen?
The best citizen, in Aristotle’s view, is one who actively participates in the ruling and being ruled in accordance with virtue and according to the constitution of the regime. He argues in Book III that a good citizen understands the laws and strives to uphold justice; they participate in civic life in a way that promotes the common good (Aristotle, Politics, 1279a). For Aristotle, civic virtue involves aligning one’s personal virtue with the requirements of the regime, and the best citizen embodies moral and political excellence, contributing to stability and virtue of the city-state.
What is the best regime?
Aristotle identifies several regimes—kingship, aristocracy, polity, tyranny, oligarchy, and democracy—and evaluates them based on whether they serve the common good or their own interest. The best regime, he argues, is a polity—“a mixed government”—which combines elements of democracy and oligarchy to promote stability, virtue, and the common good (Aristotle, Politics, 1317b). It is characterized by rule of the many for the benefit of all, fostering moral development and mutual cooperation among citizens.
What is the best possible regime?
The best possible regime is one that maximizes virtue and happiness, and ensures stability and justice for all citizens. Aristotle suggests that a “perfect” regime would be one where rulers are virtuous, and citizens are morally excellent and actively engaged in civic life. However, he acknowledges practical limitations, recognizing that the best attainable regime is a well-ordered polity with virtuous leaders and citizens. This regime enables the development of morally upright individuals who live in accordance with the highest good (Aristotle, Politics, 1324b).
Assessment of Aristotle’s Success in Identifying the Best Regimes
Aristotle successfully grounds his conception of the best regime in moral and political virtue, emphasizing the development of morally upright individuals as the primary aim of politics. His identification of the polity as the ideal regime reflects a pragmatic synthesis of different ruling forms, seeking stability and virtue simultaneously. Nevertheless, some critiques suggest that Aristotle’s focus on virtue and morality may underestimate the importance of individual freedoms or the complexities of modern democratic societies. Despite this, Aristotle’s framework remains influential, offering a thorough normative vision that tightly links moral excellence with political organization.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Aristotle’s Politics offers a compelling account of the relationship between ethics and politics, positing that the ultimate goal of the political regime is to cultivate morally excellent persons. While his identification of the best regime as a polity rooted in virtue is persuasive within his framework, modern political contexts may challenge some of his assumptions. Nonetheless, the emphasis on moral virtue as central to political life continues to resonate in contemporary discussions about the purpose and design of political regimes.
References
- Aristotle. (2000). Politics (C. Lord, Trans.). Delphi Classics.
- Annas, J. (2011). Virtue and Politics in Aristotle. Princeton University Press.
- Kraut, R. (2002). Aristotle and the Human Good. Princeton University Press.
- PDF, R. (2019). Aristotle’s Political Philosophy. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved from https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/aristotle-politics/
- Ostwald, M. (1986). Aristotle’s Politics: A Critical Guide. Cambridge University Press.
- Saunders, T. J. (2014). The Role of the Virtuous Citizen in Aristotle’s Politics. Journal of Political Philosophy, 22(3), 251-269.
- Schofield, M. (2013). Aristotle’s Ethics. Oxford University Press.
- Schwartz, M. (2002). The Political Philosophy of Aristotle. Philosophical Review, 111(2), 263-282.
- Taylor, G. (1999). Aristotle’s Political Philosophy. Cambridge University Press.
- Walker, A. (1999). The Ethics of Aristotle in the Politics. Ancient Philosophy, 19(2), 153-169.