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Aristotle on Democracy A democracy is a government for the people. It is an establishment to which the people of that nation are the people who run that nation. There is no line of fate that puts a person or persons in power but a poll of citizens that determine who shall lead them. There is a set of checks and balances to ensure that no one person may have total control of that government.
Aristotle once wrote, Of forms of democracy first comes that which is said to be based strictly on equality. In such a democracy the law says that it is just for the poor to have no more advantage than the rich; and that neither should be masters, but both equal. By this statement, I believe that Aristotle is trying to note that in a democracy there is no rule of lineage to promote the beliefs of those of nobility. In addition, there is no punishment or enslaving of those born with less fortune.
This makes for an equal government by giving the same power to all persons and letting material things have no say in the outcome. In other forms of government, a person or group of people can express their views or run their state because they are viewed as important or have the wealth to do so. Without the establishment of a basic democracy, there is more room for an uprising by suppressing views of the people that feel oppressed or openly disagree with the views of their nation. According to Aristotle, essential element to a democracy is the freedom to express ones views openly without repercussion.
If you decide to take away that freedom then you will only insight riots or possibly an entire uprising by stirring trouble among your citizens. A democracy must be equal. Sometimes the most brilliant ideas come from those without an aristocratic background. A democracy promotes free thought and expression of ideas. Aristotle believed that democracy is not the best possible regime, however during his time he did not see any alternative once. Even today, democracy still remains the most progressive form of government.
The concepts and ideas presented within Politics, relate to current issues pressing family relationships as well as human relations with one another. His belief that the activity of the soul in accordance with virtue and excellence will result in a complete and happy life has been discussed throughout time. Aristotle's best possible regime consists of humans and nature together, within a coexistent environment. Aristotle is successful in describing how the individual can achieve happiness. Aristotle reveals the conditions that are set to achieving this happiness. Only good human beings can be happy, only good laws make good human beings, and only good government makes good laws.
These conditions show that society is a never-ending system of checks and balances, which is the foundation of democracy. If a law is unjust, humans cannot be happy and the government cannot govern. If one part of the system is thrown off, the other parts will suffer as well. Aristotle rejects democracy based on the belief that it creates political inactivity. The natural slaves unremarkable external characteristics, and the likelihood that a natural slave could be born as either a freeman or as an actual slave, apparently leaves democracy open to the inclusion of those unsuited for political activity (Bentley). Democracy has too many loops for one to jump through to avoid the good life.
Aristotle's ethical and political theories concern the way a person should live and the role of the government for each person to achieve his or her own best life. An individual can lack certain things the good life requires, and has a restricted capacity for development, or the individual feels as though he or she has everything and does not strive for the true good life. Partnership among individuals should be used to create harmony in society, and democracy is form of partnership. Aristotle in his Politics used village as the example of how things can work in society that is more complex. The primary partnership was made up of several households for the satisfaction of not mere daily needs is the village. In the same way democratic country exists, where the needs of whole country can be achieved though partnership of all its citizens.
Within the Athenian democracy there was no separation of class, even the lowest and poorest citizen shared in freedom and power of the government. People argue that since a majority of the population was part of the lower class that a democracy favored and benefited the poor the most. With this new right, many citizens took an active part in their state affairs and ruled. The citizens were using their political power and rights personally without the ability of representatives making decisions on their behalf. Aristotle proves the difference between old forms of government and the new democracy in his writing in Politics. Aristotle stated, The argument seems to show that a number of the governing body, whether small in oligarchy or large in a democracy, is an accident due to the fact that the rich everywhere are few, and the poor numerous.
Therefore, the real difference between democracy and oligarchy is poverty and wealth. Wherever men rule by reason of their wealth, whether they are few or many, that is an oligarchy, and where the poor rule, that is a democracy. Aristotle believed that a freedom of choice for an individual would lead towards the impossibility of establishing human relationships in a considerably practical way. However, all humans tend to establish healthy and happy environment for their personal needs. Democracy appears to be the best political system to satisfy requirements of different people, since people exist in quite complex environment. It helps to create happy environment for development of each individual and allows state to develop better than under any other form of government, which can be proved by observing political systems of leading nations.
Bibliography: Bentley, R. Loving Freedom: Aristotle on Slavery and the Good Life. Political Studies, 100 - 121, 1999. Aristotle.
The Politics. New York: Putnam, 1932. Els, J. M.
Freedom and Democracy: Greek Concepts. Fort Hare University Press, 1977.
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