Aristotle’s Political Philosophy – Full 2500-

Word Exam Answer

Aristotle (384–322 BCE) was one of the

greatest philosophers of ancient Greece. He was
a student of Plato and the teacher of Alexander
the Great. Although born in Stagira, a city far
from Athens, he spent most of his life in Athens.
He studied at Plato’s Academy for around 20
years and later founded his own school, the
Lyceum. While Plato is known for political
idealism, Aristotle is known for political
realism. Plato imagined a perfect state ruled by
philosopher-kings, but Aristotle focused on how
real political systems actually work and how to
improve them practically.
Aristotle's approach was different from Plato’s
in many ways. Plato used deductive reasoning,
starting from abstract ideals and applying them
to the real world. Aristotle, on the other hand,
followed an inductive method. He collected
facts and data from many sources, observed
human behavior, and then made general
conclusions. He studied the constitutions of 158
Greek city-states and used this information to
develop his political theories. Because of his
scientific and practical approach, Aristotle is
considered the father of political science.
Aristotle believed that man is a rational and
social animal by nature. He famously said,
“Man is by nature a political animal.”
According to him, humans naturally come
together to form families, then villages, and
finally states. The state is the highest form of
human association because it allows people to
live a complete and good life. For Aristotle, the
state is not created artificially. It grows
naturally, just like a living organism. The
purpose of the state is not just to help people
survive, but to help them live well and achieve
their highest potential.
Aristotle’s political philosophy is closely
connected with ethics. He believed that the aim
of politics is to promote the moral and ethical
development of individuals. In his view, the
state should help people become virtuous and
live a good life. In fact, Aristotle saw politics as
a continuation of ethics. His ethical writings,
especially the Nicomachean Ethics, are closely
linked to his political work, Politics. In Ethics,
he described the virtues needed for a good life,
and in Politics, he explained how the state can
help develop those virtues in citizens.
One of the core concepts in Aristotle’s political
theory is the idea of justice. Like Plato, he
believed that justice is essential for the survival
of a state. But their definitions of justice were
different. For Plato, justice meant performing
one's natural role in society. For Aristotle,
justice meant giving each person what they
deserve. He distinguished between general
justice and particular justice. General justice is
about obeying laws and living virtuously.
Particular justice is divided into two types:
distributive and corrective. Distributive justice
deals with how honors and resources are shared
fairly among people. Corrective justice focuses
on correcting wrongs in transactions and
restoring balance. Aristotle’s concept of justice
is practical and based on law and fairness,
unlike Plato’s which is more abstract and moral.
Aristotle was also very critical of Plato’s idea of
communism, especially the idea that property
and families should be shared among the
guardian class. Plato believed that common
ownership would promote unity and eliminate
selfishness. Aristotle strongly disagreed. He
believed that private property gives people a
sense of responsibility and motivation. He said
that what is owned by everyone is cared for by
no one. According to him, private property is
natural and necessary, but should be used for the
common good. He believed that property should
be privately owned but commonly used.
Similarly, Aristotle disagreed with Plato’s idea
of a communal family. He believed that the
family is a natural and necessary part of society.
A family includes a husband, wife, children, and
slaves. Aristotle believed that each family is the
foundation of villages, and villages are the
foundation of the state. He saw the family as the
first school where people learn cooperation,
love, sacrifice, and discipline. He believed that
women were naturally inferior to men and that
slaves lacked rationality and were naturally
meant to be ruled. These views reflect the
common thinking of his time, although today we
reject them as unjust.
Aristotle’s defense of slavery is one of the most
criticized parts of his philosophy. He believed
that some people are slaves by nature because
they cannot use reason to govern themselves. He
argued that it is better for such people to be
ruled by a master who can guide them. Slaves,
according to Aristotle, are tools for action.
However, he also said that if a slave could
reason like a free person, then he should not be
a slave. He imagined a future where machines
could do the work of slaves, suggesting that
slavery might become unnecessary. Although
Aristotle accepted slavery as a part of his
society, he showed some flexibility and
humanity in his views.
One of the most important parts of Aristotle’s
political philosophy is his theory of revolution.
He studied the causes of political instability and
gave suggestions on how to prevent revolutions.
In Book V of Politics, he described both general
and specific causes of revolutions. General
causes include inequality, injustice, disrespect
for laws, and the misuse of power by rulers.
Specific causes vary according to the type of
government. For example, in democracies,
revolutions may happen because of
irresponsible leaders who attack the rich. In
oligarchies, they may happen because the rich
exploit the poor. In aristocracies, revolutions
occur when only a few people benefit from
honors and resources. Aristotle believed that
revolutions are dangerous and should be
avoided by promoting justice, equality, rule of
law, good education, and patriotism.
To prevent revolutions, Aristotle gave several
suggestions: rulers should follow the law;
people should be educated according to the
spirit of the constitution; no group should be
excluded from political participation; and
honors should be shared fairly. He also believed
that the best way to maintain stability is to
strengthen the middle class. The middle class,
he argued, is not too rich or too poor and
therefore more likely to support a balanced and
just government. This idea of the middle class
being the backbone of political stability has had
a lasting influence on modern political thought.
Aristotle's theory of the state is another key
contribution. He believed that the state is a
natural organization that grows from the basic
needs of human life. The state begins with
individuals, who form families; families group
into villages, and villages unite to form the state.
The state is the highest form of human
association and exists for the sake of the "good
life," not just survival. For Aristotle, the state is
not just a political institution—it is also a moral,
educational, and cultural organization. It helps
people live virtuous lives and achieve their full
potential.
Aristotle believed that the state is prior to the
individual. He argued that a person who can live
outside the state must be either a beast or a god.
Just like the hand cannot survive without the
body, the individual cannot live a full life
without the state. This view emphasizes that
human beings are social and political by nature,
and that the state is essential for their well-
being.
Aristotle gave a classification of governments
that has influenced political science for
centuries. He classified governments based on
the number of rulers and whether they ruled in
the interest of all or for their own benefit.
According to him, monarchy is the rule of one
for the good of all, but if it becomes corrupt, it
turns into tyranny. Aristocracy is the rule of a
few noble people for the good of all, but if it
becomes selfish, it turns into oligarchy. Polity is
the rule of the many for the common good, and
its corrupt form is democracy, where the
majority may exploit the minority. For Aristotle,
the best practical government is polity—a
balanced form that combines the best features of
democracy and oligarchy.
He also believed in the “cycle of revolutions”,
where governments change from one form to
another in a regular pattern: monarchy becomes
tyranny, tyranny leads to aristocracy, which
turns into oligarchy, followed by polity, and
then democracy, which again falls back into
monarchy. This cyclical view of political
change shows his understanding of how
unstable political systems can become over
time.
Although Aristotle was critical of Plato in many
ways, he was also deeply influenced by him.
Many of Aristotle’s ideas are improvements or
corrections to Plato’s theories. For example,
both believed in the importance of virtue,
reason, and the role of the state in shaping moral
life. However, Aristotle focused more on what
is possible and practical, while Plato imagined
an ideal state that may never exist. Aristotle’s
realism makes his ideas more applicable to
actual political systems.
Aristotle’s contributions to political thought are
enormous. He was the first to study politics
scientifically and systematically. His use of
observation, classification, and analysis laid the
foundation for modern political science. He
emphasized the importance of the middle class,
the rule of law, education, and constitutional
government. His ideas about the state as a moral
institution, justice as fairness, and the dangers of
political instability are still relevant today.
In terms of influence, Aristotle’s impact is hard
to measure. For over a thousand years, his
works were considered the final authority on
many subjects. His ideas influenced medieval
thinkers like Thomas Aquinas, modern
philosophers like John Locke, and even
contemporary communitarian thinkers. While
some of his views, like his support for slavery
and patriarchy, are no longer acceptable, his
overall contribution to political theory remains
unmatched.
In conclusion, Aristotle was a brilliant
philosopher and political thinker who focused
on reality rather than ideals. His political
philosophy is practical, realistic, and deeply
ethical. He believed that the purpose of the state
is to help people achieve a good and moral life.
His understanding of justice, revolution, the
nature of the state, and the classification of
governments continues to influence political
science and political theory even today. While
he was a critic of Plato, he built upon his
teacher’s ideas and gave them a new, more
practical direction. As the first true political
scientist, Aristotle’s work remains a cornerstone
of Western political thought.