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Aristotle and Cicero . 30 July 2008. Regimes where the ruler rules in the common interest Monarchy Aristocracy Polity. Regimes where the ruler rules in the interest of a part Tyranny Oligarchy Rule of the wealthy Democracy Rule of the poor. Original view of regimes. Six Basic Types.
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Aristotle and Cicero 30 July 2008
Regimes where the ruler rules in the common interest Monarchy Aristocracy Polity Regimes where the ruler rules in the interest of a part Tyranny Oligarchy Rule of the wealthy Democracy Rule of the poor Original view of regimes Six Basic Types
A revised view of regimes • The best regime one can hope for (books VII and VIII), ruled by many good men • Absolute kingship/aristocracy of one or many virtuous men (book III) • Mixtures: polity, moderate democracy, moderate aristocracy (books IV-VI) • Tyrannies: of one person, of the many poor, of the few rich
A revised view of regimes Knowledge of the common good Rule by godlike beings (impossible) Partial regimes Genuine kingships or aristocracies Best human regime Tyrannies Polity Possibility
The best regime • A regime of citizens who are all good people, and which allows good people to flourish
Seven steps to the perfect (human) regime • Start with sufficient colonists who are already good people • People who share a correct understanding of the common good • The common good = justice • So good people = just people
Seven steps to the perfect (human) regime • Choose a suitable site • Close to trading networks • Easily defensible with small numbers of people
Seven steps to the perfect (human) regime • Make them free from necessity • Need to have sufficient numbers of slaves or machines to make each materially independent of other people and capable of learning the virtues
Seven steps to the perfect (human) regime • Make sure the distribution of wealth does not lead to divergent material interests • The citizens must be wealthy but not too wealthy: wealth is only a means to an end • There must be relative equality of wealth
Seven steps to the perfect (human) regime • Make sure the citizens are all able to monitor each other’s character, and to meet together to deliberate about their common good • The best regime must therefore be very small • In the best regime, everyone has an opportunity to participate in politics; a good life is a life which involves doing good with and to others
Seven steps to the perfect (human) regime • Implement a comprehensive policy of public education, including education in virtue
Seven steps to the perfect (human) regime • Implement an adequate “eugenics” policy
What would life look like in the best human regime? • All would participate in deliberating about the common good in good spirit • Citizens would be just, moderate, courageous, etc. • The citizens would use their leisure in activities which are good for their own sake: art, science, religion, etc. • But also: private life would be tightly regulated, including “personal” decisions
How would such a regime act in the world? • It would not pursue war for its own sake: participation in politics is not about the pursuit of power • But it might assume leadership over other free poleis, and it would be fit to rule over natural slaves
Is Aristotle’s view of politics convincing? • Some potential objections • There is no single or objectively correct view of the common good and the good life • Aristotle’s view of the common good and the good life is mistaken • Politics should be about matters about which we can agree – protection against obvious harms – not about the good life
Aristotle’s model of political community • The community develops from natural needs for the sake of the good life, which includes political activity • In its best form it is a quite small community so as to ensure a flourishing existence for a few • Assumes that there are natural differences among people regarding their suitability for full political life • Well adapted to the 5th and 4th centuries BC
The Stoics The stoa poikile, or painted colonnade, in Athens
Some teachings of the Stoics • “Natural law” • The identity of happiness and virtue • Universal equality under natural law
Cosmopolitanism Diogenes the Cynic
Cicero’s model of the political community • The community develops from natural needs for the sake of a good life that includes sociality • Citizens are those who agree on a common conception of law and interest • Does not assume that there are special natural differences among people • Only one among many communities which must be given their due under natural law
Cicero’s model of the political community • Res publica res populi: the republic is the concern of the people • The community composes • a people • a set of institutions for deliberation and decision (the consilium) • a patria or cultural form of life tied to a territory and history
Cicero’s model of the political community • The best regime is a mixed regime, in fact a regime much like the Rome of Scipio’s generation (before Cicero’s birth)
The concentric circles of society Parents, immediate family Shares: natural affection and duty Kinsmen, non-immediate family Cultural group Where should we put our political community? All of humanity Shares: common reason
Duties • We share less with our co-citizens than with our family, for example • But we owe the republic (the common concern) more than to other communities • Nevertheless, justice implies giving each natural community its due, including humanity • There is a natural law to which we must conform if we are to be happy
Critique and justification of empire • War can be just or unjust, but justice does not depend on the natural inferiority of others • It depends on whether the war is justified by the need for peace and whether it’s been properly declared • Many of the peoples defeated by Rome went on to become its citizens; such wars were just, and the empire is justified • Nevertheless, Cicero argues that some of the conquests after Scipio’s time was unjust • Caesar’s actions involved taking the property of other and engaging in conquest for gain, not for peace