Aristotle

1 quote + what does Aristotle think of liberty + equality?

“to rule and be ruled in turn”

1. democratic equality is when the majority have the authority, one lives as one likes, and all rule and are ruled in turn

2. not everyone in a state is equal: the most virtuous citizens have a larger share than the freest or the wealthiest

1 quote + what does Aristotle say about community

“only when households and families live well as a community whose end is a complete and self-sufficient life”

1. the city state must be concerned with virtue to be a city-state

2. community builds from households —> villages —> self-sufficient villages united for living well (city state)

3. happiness as a virtue and virtue as the goal of a city state

4. equal education in the aim of acquiring virtue

1 quote + who Aristotle thinks should participate politically

“someone who is eligible to participate in deliberative and judicial office is a[n unqualified] citizen”

1. unqualified citizens are eligible to participate, but qualified citizens incl. the young or the elderly

2. a good citizen obeys the constitution of their state, is not necessarily a good person

3. people with the time and necessary skills should be in charge of jobs that require skill – otherwise, the majority when working together is collectively smarter/better suited

1 quote + structures of political participation

“polity…is a mixture of oligarchy and democracy”

1. all citizens should elect/inspect officials and sit on juries, but the most important officers must hold some minimum of property (= educated)

2. best constitution is one where oligarchy (requiring property ownership to have voting power, correlating with nobility and good education) mixes with democracy (elections and freedom)

1 quote + conditions for democracy

“composed of the first multitude large enough to be self-sufficient with regard to living the good life as a political community”

1. anything else is not a city-state

2. should have short terms of office, offices chosen by lot, and assembly should have great power & offices little power

3. territory should be a good size, have materials for production, and be accessible for imports/exports

2 quotes + Aristotle's thoughts on human nature and society

“a human being is by nature a political animal”

“it is peculiar to human beings…that they alone have perception of what is good or bad, just or unjust”

1. humans naturally form city-states due to their political nature

2. human virtue, justice, and wisdom can be used for terrible things; without virtue, humans are like animals