Defensor de la Paz - Key Concepts: City, Government Forms, and Origin of Civil Society

Vocabulary flashcards based on the provided notes from Marsilio de Padua’s Defensor de la Paz, covering concepts of city as a living being, tranquility, origins of civil society, roles within the city, forms of government, and foundational legal concepts.

City (Aristotle’s view)

A perfect, living community composed of interrelated parts; tranquility arises when these parts function in proportion and according to reason.

Tranquility

The optimal disposition of the city in which each part can perform its natural functions.

Intranquility

The bad disposition of the city; a diseased state where parts cannot perform their proper functions.

Origin of civil communities

From the family to the village to the city; progress from imperfect to perfect forms guided by reason and experience.

Pater familias

The father or head of a single household who could forgive or punish within the family; authority stronger in the home than in early communities.

Aldeas (villages)

Early rural communities governed by the elder’s rational sense of justice; lack formal law and centralized authority.

Legislator

The agent or authority that establishes the city’s institutions and laws; can be divine (oracular) or human.

Parts of the city

Six classes that compose the city (e.g., farmers, artisans, soldiers, treasurers, priests, and others) each serving different life-sustaining functions.

Tempered vs. vicious government

Tempered: governance aimed at the common good with consent of the governed; vicious: rule for private interest or arbitrary will.

Monarchy regia

A tempered monarchy where one rules for the common good with the consent of the subjects.

Tyranny

A vicious form of rule where one governs for personal gain, not according to the will of the people.

Tyranny electiva

An elective form of tyranny; a ruler chosen by election who nevertheless governs despotically.

Elective monarchy (best form indicated by Aristotle)

Monarchy established by election; argued to be more stable and closely tied to the common good when properly constrained.

Hereditary monarchy

Monarchy transmitted through succession to offspring; its quality depends on consent and adherence to laws.

Modes of instituting monarchy (general idea)

Various ways monarchies can be established (by election, hereditary claim, military necessity, or other just means); Aristotle discusses multiple modes.

Law (ley) and its forms

Rules that regulate civil life; can be statute, custom, or divine decree; the rule guiding the governance of the city.

Lawgiver and law origin

The source of the city’s laws; can be divine revelation or human initiative, guiding the structure and operation of government.

Natural desire for a sufficient life

All humans naturally seek a life that is sufficient for living; this drives the formation of civil communities to secure that life.