Aristotle

1. Aristotle • “He who is unable to live in society, or who has no need because he is sufficient for himself, must be either a beast or a god.”

2. AristotleThe Father of Political Thought • All humanity was political by nature. • A “constitution” was how humans were organized politically • That constitutions could be judged good or bad by evaluating if politics took care of “parts” or “wholes” • 384– 322 bce

3. Humans are naturally political • Because man is a social beast by nature, his lives in a community, and to live in a community you need rules. • This need for rules creates politics, either good or bad.

4. Aristotle’s view of wholeness • If YOU’RE not whole then YOU’RE not fully alive. You do not want to see the “members” of the body separated. • SOCIETY needs to be “whole” to be fully alive as well. • If you think you can stand alone outside of society, then you are as ridiculous as a “huge foot” all by itself.

5. Aristotle’s view of wholeness • Aristotle measured goodness with wholeness. • Government is never perfect, but it can be good if it concerned with the “whole” of society. • If government doesn’t care about the “whole” society, if it’s there only to benefit a “part” of society, then that government is perverted.

6. Making the “whole” through the “parts”a.k.a. Citizens vs. Subjects • If you are a citizen, you are engaged in the political process. • All citizens are equal, but they are not all the same. They need to do their part to contribute to the whole. • If you’re not responsible enough to be a citizen and do your part to contribute, than you are a subject and will be lorded over.

7. Aristotle on parts • The parts (citizens), when are put together, will build a life that maintains the spirit of the whole community. • How would you define the “American Spirit?” • How about the “Spirit of the Chinese?” • How about “Iraqi Spirit?” • Could our Constitution work for the Chinese or the Iraqi? Why or why not?

8. The Spirit of the whole is its Constitution • It’s important to note that Aristotle’s definition of “constitution” is different from ours today. • To Aristotle, a constitution is how a community works . . . NOT a document that is the rule of law. • He wanted to study constitutions/communities . . . He wanted to see the “whole” very badly but couldn’t. • So he studied the parts/citizens to define the the spirit/constitution of the whole community.

9. Is a constitution good or bad? • Is a government set up with the common interests of the “whole”, or merely only the ruling “part” that has the power? • “Right” constitutions were directed to the common interest of the whole. • “Perverted” constitutions were directed at the selfish interest of the ruling body.

10. Aristotle on constitutions • To Aristotle, there were only three natural ways to rule. • Rule by the one • Rule by the few • Rule by the many • But, if there were “right” and perverted” constitutions then these three ways to rule are doubled for the good and bad.

11. “Right” Constitutions Considers the common interests of the whole. Kingship--the rule by one. Aristocracy--the rule by a few. Constitutional Government--the military ruling as the mass (in Aristotle’s time). “Perverted” Constitutions Considers only selfish interests of those ruling. Tyrant--a perversion of Kingship. Oligarchy--a perversion of Aristocracy Democracy--a perversion of Constitutional Government, which is the rule. No one ruling the poor, uneducated masses . . . MOB RULE! Aristotle on constitutions

12. So given Aristotle’s views . . . • Does our constitution match the animating spirit of the American people? • Describe what our “animating spirit” would look like. • Could our constitution fit everyone in the world? • Would our constitution fit the spirit of the Iraqi people? • Considering the spirit of the Iraqi people, what you think their constitution might look like?

13. Aristotle still has universal influence! • The founder of constitutional thinking. • Saw the world in parts of wholes. • Believed you could recreate a whole by merely observing a part. • Believed all wholes had constitutions. • To this day, no country considers creating a constitution without referring to his views! • 384– 322 bce

14. Think like an Aristotelian . . . Get out a pen and paper • Is our government run by one, a few, or the many? • Does it focus on the well being of the “whole” or only the ruling “parts”? In other words, are we good or perverted? • Give three examples that would substantiate your opinion.