Aristotle Book 3
Book 3, 1-5
All cities are not the same
A city is a collective body composed of many parts
Not the walls or borders, it is the nature of it’s citizens
There is nothing that more characterizes a complete citizen than someone who can meaningfully participate in the judicial and executive parts of government.
Not someone who resides in the city or has access to courts, it’s someone who actively engages.
Who participates is not the same everywhere
A regime is the politics
There are different regimes because there are different logics
He is criticizing the way his students think about birthright citizenship
What about the founders? How can they be the first citizens?
Aristotle thinks: if someone shares in the office they are a citizen
Each city produces a different type of citizen
A change in leaders is not a change of regime
If America suddenly became a monarchy, then the regime would change
The regime is what establishes the continuity
The form is what dictates what a good and bad citizen actually is
Good and bad means something different depending on the regime they’re in
Best case scenario is a good regime that makes you a good person and be a good citizen, you don’t have to choose
In some regimes, good people will be considered bad citizens
The best regime is a politics where you learn to command and obey
A politics that lets you do both is the best politics
To Aristotle, you having to work is not good for being a good citizen, because you’re dependent on something else
So you’re not a full citizen