The Politics (Penguin Classics)

We would have been wise to build our civilization on Aristotle rather than Locke. Locke was a wise thinker, but his theories were not as well-considered as the ancients and untried in general.

It seems more than presumptuous to me for me to write a review of the work of Aristotle. 2500 years after its production we continue to study it and consider the implications and application of Aristotle's thought. Have at it. It really is a growth experience.

great

An excellent edition of Aristotle's great work, including a thorough study of the writer and his times--the Politics is quite a challenging work, and this is a fine translation of the seminal set of essays.

Greek, classical literature. The top tier of its canon, What a masterpiece of thought and philosophy! He taught Alexander the Great!

Classic Aristotle.

great book!

Aristotle's 'Politics' is a continuation of his earlier work the 'Nichomachean Ethics' (NE) and the two are actually designed to be part of the same general treatise on what makes for the best kind of human living.The earlier work is designed to be a systematic analysis (arguably the first in world philosophy) of what we would now define as 'ethics' or 'moral philosophy', i.e. what is goodness, what is happiness (or flourishing), how do we judge what actions are right and wrong, etc. The second treatise covers what is now called 'Political Philosophy' or 'Political Science', and examines at what makes for the best in terms of the structure of the general community.Plato tried to achieve much the same in his famous 'Republic' and this work, while also a great classic in political thought and philosophy, includes questions from many different areas of philosophy (moral philosophy, metaphysics, religion, political philosophy, etc) and does not make the sorts of logical, scientific distinctions that Aristotle's highly systematic scientific mind does.While the 'Politics' lacks the literary grace and beauty of Plato's prose, I have to disagree that Aristotle 'lacks imagination' or penetrating insight into political matters. If this was the case, why is it Aristotle's thought is so influential down the ages even up to now with thinkers like Rawls, and also during the medieval period, when theologians and religious thinkers tended to side more with Plato? While Plato is arguably an absolute genius, Aristotle's achievement exceeds that of Plato because (as in many areas) in the place of myths, uncritically examined religious traditions and half-baked poetic hand-waving, he offers the first systematic and scientific analysis of political thought, ideas, and also constitutional forms of government.Clearly for Aristotle politics is not just a descriptive science (as his other scientific treatises were) but also a normative one as well - he aims not just to describe different forms of government, but to form a moral evaluation of what type is best considering the empirical evidence. For this scientific approach, Aristotle deserves recognition for being the first great social and political scientist in the Western tradition.Clearly Aristotle's ideas and arguments are not flawless - his appeal to God and to biological teleology are clearly antiquated and quaint, and his views about women, slaves and non-Greeks generally would not be taken seriously by anyone today. His ideal community tends to be exactly what Aristotle, Plato and their schools were - a community of aristocratic men who devote their lives to philosophy supported by a large class of slaves, non-Greeks, and a class of subordinate women who only exist to serve men's needs. Yet despite these limitations Aristotle offers insights still relevant today, such as the dangers of tyrannical rule, the need to grant autonomy to families (contra Plato taking children away to be raised in state schools was not a good idea because of the natural love parents have for their children), the risks of both rule of the rich (oligarchy), democracy (popular rule), and what we might now call communism or socialism (absolute state rule). It is also worth mentioning that the biographies of Aristotle demonstrate his general kindness towards his wives and children and servants (Aristotle apparently married twice), something contrary to many of the crueller men of the day. This no doubt is why his works seem to be far more insightful into the realities of family and marriage than the mathematically-inclined Plato, who preferred the ethereal eternal ideal over the messy reality.Unlike his metaphysical and scientific works which are now only of historical interest, Aristotle's works on ethics and politics are refreshing and read surprisingly well considering their antiquity. Because they are not polished works of prose or dialogues (Aristotle apparently wrote these and they were praised by a figure as respectable as Cicero, but are sadly lost) but are fragmented lecture notes, they can be annoying and repetitive. Still, Aristotle's logical and systematic approach gives them a clarity often lacking in Plato, not to mention subsequent thinkers like Cicero, Augustine, and Hegel.This is a great classic in political and social thought and no serious student of the Western political tradition can afford to neglect the contribution of Aristotle.