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Chapter 14 The Beginning of the Greek City-State System

Chapter 13 The beginning of the Greek city-state system: "Politics"

Aristotle's "Politics" is the first systematic work on political theory in Western history.
It was written after summarizing the research on the constitution of eight Greek city-states.The book explores the origins, nature, and ideal sociopolitical institutions of the state

Some important political theory issues.

Works of Peripatetic School

Aristotle was born in 384 BC in a Greek colonial city-state under Macedonian rule in Thrace on the northwest coast of the Aegean Sea

stajira.In 367 BC Aristotle came to Athens, first entered the Macedonian orator Isocrates

He attended school, and later transferred to Plato's academy to engage in study and research for 20 years.After Plato's death, Aris
Dodd left Athens in 348 BC to study in Asia Minor due to disagreements with the heirs of the school, and came back three years later.
Mytilene.In 342 BC, Aristotle was invited by King Philip of Macedon to go to Pora as a 13-year-old prince
A teacher in Alexandria, he was very popular and respected by Philip.336 BC Philip was assassinated and died, Alexander succeeded
Aristotle then returned to Athens the following year, and with the support of Antibert, Alexander's representative in Athens, selected the east of the city.
The northern suburb of Luke Ang as the address, began to prepare for the school.Because Aristotle often lectures

Walking in the veranda is relatively casual, so people call him "Happy School".Alexander fell ill in Babylon in 323 BC
After his death, the anti-Macedonian forces in Athens rose immediately. Because of his close relationship with Alexander, Aristotle was appointed by the chief priest Eurymy.
Dunn, accused of impiety, was forced to flee Athens for Chalces on the island of Opia, in 322 B.C.
died there.

During Aristotle's lifetime, he wrote a large number of works, including many lecture notes, lectures and materials, but in his lifetime

Before, it was not sorted out and circulated publicly. After his death, after many tortuous and bizarre processes, it was not until about 40 BC.

, was compiled into a book by Andronico, the 11th generation heir of Lyceon College.His major works include philosophy, nature

Philosophy and natural sciences, logic, ethics, psychology, aesthetics, and political science.Political Science
His works include Athens Politics and Political Science.

In the middle of the 4th century BC, Macedonia in northern Greece finally conquered the Greek city-states.Aristotle is in this complex

Under the circumstances of class contradictions and ethnic contradictions, he wrote "Politics".

On the Theory System of State and Rule of Law

"Politics" has 8 volumes and 103 chapters.Book [-]: On the Family; Book [-]: On the Ideal City and the Good City; Book [-]: Citizens and Politics
Theory; Volume [-]: Categories of Real Governments; Volume [-]: Coups and Revolutions; Volume [-]: On the Establishment of More Stable Civilian Governments and Oligarchies
Methods of Government; Book VII: Political Ideals and Principles of Education; Book VIII: On the Education of Children and the Training of Youth.This book mainly discusses
The origin and purpose of the state and the rule of law and other issues, put forward a systematic political theory system, is the foundation of Western political science.

Aristotle believes that politics-the technology of governing the country is the highest technology of government, because only it can express the most
High goodness.

The so-called political science refers to the city-states of Greece at that time.Aristotle, like many scientists of his time, believed that human society is

From simple to complex, from imperfect to perfect.He believes that human beings were originally combined into families due to the difference between the sexes, and later

Only when several families are combined into a village community and finally developed into a city-state, is a perfect society capable of achieving the ultimate good.his

There is a famous saying that "man is born to be a political animal", and this "politics" refers to city-states and social collectives.he meant nothing but

That is to say: people cannot live alone, but can only live in groups in society, so they are social animals.because of an isolation

People cannot live a self-sufficient life, and only in a collective society—the city-state—can they meet their needs.

Aristotle pointed out that as long as there is a society, there must be a difference between the ruler and the ruled.He argues that human
To be superior to other animals lies in the fact that human beings are rational and able to distinguish between good and evil and justice.A man, he should be the soul to rule the flesh
body, where reason rules over passion.In society, it should also be ruled by rational people who know how to govern the country.
Those who have physical strength to perform labor, they can only be ruled.

Aristotle sees economic relations behind political relations.He was the first to suggest that products have a dual nature.He said: Goods

Things can have two uses, one is the inherent use; the other is the non-inherent use.and discovered the use of metal as currency

Carry out goods transactions.In the expression of the value of commodities, Aristotle discovered the equivalence relation, the positive

It is here that the brilliance of his genius shines.

Aristotle divides the government into three types: monarchy, aristocracy, republic, democracy, oligarchy, and tyranny.their height
The advantages and disadvantages are arranged in this order. Aristotle believes that the monarchy is the best, followed by the aristocratic system, and the worst is the worst.
It is a tyranny.

Among these six regimes, Aristotle actually divides them into two categories: the first three are one category, and he thinks they are all good.
The latter three are another type, all of which are bad, perverted, and realistic regimes.every
The reason why there are three kinds in the class is only because of the difference in the number of rulers: monarchy and tyranny are ruled by one person

or duo-rule, aristocracy and oligarchy are ruled by the few, republics and democracies should be ruled by the majority
rule.

Aristotle pointed out: Whether it is a monarchy ruled by one person, an aristocracy ruled by a few, or an aristocracy ruled by a majority

A republic is a good form of government as long as it can act according to reason and benefit the people of the country.Unfortunately, in real life,
Aristotle saw that there was no such ideal politics in Greece at the time.In reality there are only perverts that he considers to be

forms of government, namely democracy, oligarchy, and tyranny.A tyrant is also an autocratic dictator, and can also be called a tyrant.tyranny and

Oligarchies are often indivisible.Therefore, Aristotle mainly discusses only two realistic political forms in Politics
, that is, democracy and oligarchy.

Between Democracy and Oligarchy, Yari

Aristotle is inclined towards democracy, and Aristotle believes that democracy is better among the three abnormal regimes in reality.because
Therefore, we cannot say that he opposed democracy on the side of the slave-owner aristocracy.

Aristotle keenly saw: the opposition between democracy and oligarchy, in essence, democracy is poor people in power, oligarchy

It's the rich who rule.So the struggle between democracy and oligarchy is actually a struggle between the poor and the rich.

Aristotle believes that democracy has many advantages, and democracy has the spirit of equality and freedom, not by that one person or a few people
Those who are dedicated to ruling others, make the majority of the people forever the ruled, but let everyone have the ability to be the ruler and the ruled in turn.

Opportunity for rulers.At the same time, Aristotle also pointed out the shortcomings of democracy, the main one being that it is often susceptible to minority
Manipulation
to make some bad decisions.

Aristotle's analysis illustrates the social contradictions in the Greek city-states at that time, the poor and the rich, the cities

There are constant revolutions and coups between states, and there are real contradictions in the frequent alternation of democracy and oligarchic tyranny.

For the above contradictions, what prescription did Aristotle prescribe?His proposition is: to reconcile the contradiction, not to intensify it.

He advised the rich to take care of the interests of the poor, and the poor to take care of the interests of the rich, and not to deprive each other too much.

In Politics, he argues that it is best ruled by the middle class, which is neither too strong nor too rich, nor too weak
too poor.He believes that anyone who goes to extremes (either one extreme or the other) is always against reason.a city-state
Well established by the middle class

Laws came to power, he said, and Solon, the democratic reformer of Athens, and Lycus, the reformer of Sparta, belonged to such a middle class, and he
Our reforms have been successful.

Records the history of the political evolution of Athens, from the early military consuls to the later years of Aristotle, and also expounds

The laws and electoral system of Athens at that time, etc., are important materials for us to understand the political history of Athens at that time.from this book
It can be seen that it was precisely because of the extensive and intensive study of Greek historical material that Aristotle was able to make in the Politics
A more scientific theoretical overview.

The main contribution of Aristotle in political science is that he analyzed and studied the various political systems of the Greek city-states at that time, analyzed
The pros and cons were evaluated one by one.

Aristotle implemented a very important idea in "Politics", that is, he emphasized the importance of law.

Aristotle is the master of ancient Greece, his works, in the medieval European Christian church, have the same level as the "Bible"

authority.He had an indelible influence on the development of European philosophy and science. "Politics" as the first book in Western history

A systematic masterpiece of political theory, it discusses a series of important theoretical issues, which are the basic categories and ideas of Western political science
origin.However, he was limited by the historical conditions of his time and had his inevitable limitations.

(End of this chapter)