Nathanael Gage

July 27, 2016

Philosophy 1000
Aristotles Politics
Aristotle was a big influence on the founding fathers of the United states of America.
According to Jefferson and John Adams, the Declaration of independence and the American
Revolution rests on the philosophy of Aristotle, Plato, Cicero, Locke, and Sidney (Pakaluk, Para.
1-4).
In this paper we will not be Identifying American history in any form, but we will be
looking into one of the greatest philosophers that lived in the time of the royal aristocracy. We
will be able to know information about the philosopher and be identifying his philosophy on
politics.
Aristotle (384-322 B.C.E) was born in Stagira, Thrace. His father was a court physician
who taught Aristotle the basics of anatomy and dissection. At the age of 18-years-old he moved
to Athens to study at Platos Academy and received the immediate reputation of the Academys
finest student, for example; when Plato read aloud a difficult treatise about the soul Aristotle
would stay around, while the other class mates would flee. He stuck around Plato for twenty
years until at the age of Thirty-seven years old when Plato died. Aristotle was expecting to be the
next master of the Academy, but because he was a foreigner the Title of the King-Philosopher
went to a native Athenian instead (Soccio, Pg. 159). The role of the King-philosopher was
appointed to Speusippus, which was Platos cousin (Jewett, Pg. 2).
Aristotle had two women in his life. One was a princess that he married named Pythias,
who bore him a Daughter; sadly, she died while giving birth. Later he lived with a woman named

Herpyllis in their happy long-living relationship they had a son named, Nicomachus (Soccio,
Pg.159).
In 343 B.C.E., Aristotle was offered a job from King Philip of Macedon to train his
Thirteen-year-old son Alexander. The boy was a wild a crude child, but Aristotle was smooth and
rough edged and instill in him respect for knowledge and science. In 334 B.C.E., Aristotle job
teaching Alexander was complete (Soccio, Pg. 159).
He went back to Athens extremely wealthy and formed his new school called, The
Lyceum. Lyceum which was named after the god Apollo was built near some of the most
elegant buildings in Athens, surrounded by shady groves of trees and covers walkways. The
students at the lyceum were known as Peripatetic Philosophers, because Aristotle often discussed
philosophy while strolling with his students along the Tree-covered walkway called the Peripatos
(Soccio, Pg. 160).
Aristotle curriculum included technical lectures for limited audience and popular lectures
of more general interest. Aristotles students collected anthropological studies of barbarian
cultures, chronologies of various wars and games, the organs of living habits of animals, and the
nature and locations of plants. When Alexander the Great died in 323 B.C.E., Aristotle left
Athens because he was charged for not respecting the gods. He fled to the island of Euboea, and
in his words he said to the Athens government, lest Athens sin twice against philosophy.
(Soccio, Pg. 160-161).
Starting Aristotle politics is how communities are formed. The state is a form of a
household with the master, manager, statesman, and slaves. Everyone has their part and knows
the part, and people would sometimes come to think that every household would be the same in
their responsibilities, but this is incorrect because not all household hold the same truths.
Aristotle stated, As in other departments of science, so in politics, the compound should
always be resolved into the simple elements or least parts of the whole. Meaning that in politics
we need to organize our thoughts when it comes to society. When a problem comes in the order

of the household we need to see what elements or compound of the whole entire situation is in
order to resolve it.
Aristotle identifies why we us order and must be attentive to the idea of an organized
society, the state is a creation of nature, and that man is by nature a political animal. He then
goes further to state why it is important to have government and politics, he who by nature and
not by mere accident is without a state, is either a bad man or above humanity.
Next we look at what parts a society has in Aristotles politics. First we look at what is
identified in his explanation of household. We can hold this in different parts as a manager
correspond to the person who composes the household. What completes this household is the
slaves and Freemen. The first and fewest possible parts of a family are master and slave, husband
and wife, father and children. Aristotle has identified slave and Freemen and then he identifies
subcategories of families. What can be assumed from this explanation is that sometimes you can
be a slave and sometimes you can be a freeman in the state. You can never be one or the other;
they both come hand in hand.
We can also explain this aspect from what Aristotle has to say about instruments, In the
arts which a definite sphere the workers must have their own proper instruments for the
accomplishment of their work. What he means by this is people of the household should have
their own tools. The tools are not only a part of crafting and building the society up, but it is the
instrument of the skills that you can have; in aspect, he states that, A possession is an instrument
for maintaining life. So in other words, we must obtain an instrument or skill to develop a
successful society and through that we should have, Instruments of production; a possession is
an instrument of action. In that we should act to obtain these instruments otherwise Aristotle
warns us by saying, Life is action and not Production, and therefore the slave is the minister of
action.

Aristotle then talks about the classes in the society which he believes there are a
distinction between the two classes and he classifies it in this way, The right for the one to be
slaves and the others to be masters: the one practicing obedience, the others exercising the
authority and lordship which nature intended them to have. I guess this gives us an answer of
why do some people take orders and not lead; it is because they are slaves in the two way
classes.
Aristotle does give a difference between a household and a government, because a
household can differ from how society should work. He explains the difference as such, The
rule of a household is a monarchy, for every house is under one head: whereas constitutional rule
is a government of freemen and equals. I think he feels this way about government over
household, because a household is a small entity that is consumed of family ties, but a
government is an organization that should strive to build into something strong to provide the
needs for others.
What we have seen from Aristotle and his politics is that he was a philosopher of
Naturalistic way of thinking. What this means is he believed that everything was consumed and
created in nature. The dialogue of his book, Aristotles Politics, does have the naturalistic feel
to it. When he goes on about how a society should be brought together by different levels and it
is nature that a man is a political animal. We know that idea comes from the aspect of his
naturalistic philosophy.
I am not surprised that Aristotle does have a naturalistic view when it comes to
philosophy, because in his childhood until he was eighteen Aristotle got trained in the life of
medicine from his father. In this he is the father of rational reasoning and scientific methodic
thinking.

What we can wonder is if Aristotle was trained by Plato why did he see a democracy as a
rightful way of government and not aristocracy? We can answer this by looking at the treatment
he got when Plato died; in that, how he got cheated out of not becoming the next PhilosopherKing. We can also look at what he knew of the type of life that his son, Nicomachus was going
to have, which is why he created, Nicomachus Ethics.
Even though Aristotle had wealth, power, was clean and stylish. He was not exactly like
Socrates but the treatment that he got from the government of Athens was pretty similar. He was
Banished from Athens because he did not want an execution, and if he stayed he would most
certainly be killed, so he left. But he was the second philosopher in Athens that was betrayed by
the government.
What is identified in Aristotles politics is the beliefs and ways of America. When our
four fathers said that the Declaration of independence and the American Revolution rests on the
philosophy of Aristotle, Plato, Cicero, Locke, and Sidney. I believe that is true to the fullness of
the structure of our government.

References
Jewett B. (2011). Politics by Aristotle. Digireads.com. Amazon digital copy.
Pakaluk M, (2016), Aristotle, Natural Law, and the Founders, Ave Maria University,
retrieved at: www.nlnrac.org/classical/aristotle, Date Retrieved: July 26, 2016.

Soccio D, (2013), Archetype of Wisdom: An Introduction to Philosophy, Wadsworth,

8th Edition