Aristotle

• He is the most famous student of Plato .

• He was born in Stagira, Macedonia, in 384 B.C.
• He served as the tutor of a known Alexander the Great.
• He spent 20 years in Academy after that he established Lyceum, his
own school in Athens.
• He is a man of many interest including politics, biology, physics,
psychology, philosophy, logic and ethics.
• His works are Metaphysics, Nicomachean Ethics, Rhetoric, Poetics
and Politics.
 The nature and Origin of the State
• The most perfect political association is Polis.
• Polis is natural because it is based on relations exist by nature.
• Man needs the polis to meet his needs and benefit from the self-
sufficiency of the state. Self-sufficiency is the end of the state.
 Citizenship Qualifications
• To Aristotle, Citizenship in the world of Ancient Greece was based
on participation in the administration of the affairs of the polis.
• The non-citizens would be all those who did not participate in state
affairs, including women, slaves, youth, the elderly and foreigners
or aliens.
• The excellence of good citizens consists of two things: (1) knowing
how to rule (2)knowing how to be ruled and obey.
• The excellence of good man, this lies in the order of ruling.
Types of Constitution According to Aristotle

No. of Rulers Right Constitution Perverted Constitution

Rule of One Kingship Tyranny

Rule of the Few Aristocracy Oligarchy

Rule of the Many Polity Democracy

 What makes a Constitution right and what
makes it perversion?
• Constitutions are right in the
sense that they are geared to
promote the common good and
the welfare of the entire
community.
• Conversely, Constitutions are
perverted when they protect only
the interests of the rulers.
• The best type of Constitution for
Aristotle is Kingship.
• The most practicable Constitution is
Polity given the realities of the world.
• Polity is known as Constitutional Gov’t
or the State administered by the citizens
at large for the common interest and
which is based on limited suffrage.
• A system that seeks to achieve a
balance between the freedom of the
poor and the wealth of the rich.
• Three classes that composes the state, the very rich, the very poor
and the middle class.
• He said “The best form of political society is one where power is
vested in the middle class.”
• For Aristotle, democracy is perverted because it is the rule of the
poor for the poor. Contrast this to the definition of polity which
is the rule by the masses for the common interest.