Throughout Politics, Aristotle goes into detail about monarchies, aristocracies, and polities, as the ideal forms of government. Polity as defined by Aristotle is the virtuous form of a constitutional democracy (Aristotle viewed democracy without constitutional law as a poor form of government). It is essential to a state in which polity is the system of rule that there is a constitution in place to prevent the excesses of majority rule. Although Aristotle perhaps believed polity to be the most realistic form of a virtuous government, he did not view is as the most ideal. According to Aristotle, monarchy is the idealist form of government, followed by aristocracy and polity. Despite this, Aristotle yields that monarchies and aristocracies are also more likely to degrade into undesirable states, such as tyrannies or oligarchies (Baldwin 2012). Therefore, it is fair to say that Aristotle’s ideal form of government is monarchy, despite its flaws, yet the most realistic form of a virtuous government can be found in a state governed by a constitutional democracy (Wilson 2011).
Aristotle’s view of the ideal form of government, an absolute monarchy headed by a man of excellent character and wisdom, is theoretically sound. Unfortunately, men of such character are a rarity; even rarer so, is it that such a person will actually become the king of a state. In addition, the threat of turning into a tyranny makes monarchy all the more risky (Samaras 2007). An aristocracy, if perpetually ruled by men of excellent virtue, would also be a form of government perhaps favorable to polity. However, all too often aristocracies favor law that benefits the rich and runs the risk of devolving into an oligarchy. Polity, or a constitutional democracy, is a system of government where the middle-class is the primary group of rulers. At its worst, polity can devolve into democracy without law, or mob rule, which is still preferential to tyranny and oligarchy. At its best, polity is rule by the middle-class which does not require men of outstanding virtue (unlike a lawful monarchy or aristocracy), for the better of the state as a whole. Therefore, in practice the ideal form of government is neither a monarchy nor aristocracy. Instead, a constitutional democracy, such as one the United States of America boasts, similar in fashion to Aristotle’s polity, is the best form of governme...
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...r, it is the best form of government for both short-term and long-term stability.
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Aristotle's Legacy in the Federalist Papers While the government of the United States owes its existence to the contents and careful thought behind the Constitution, some attention must be given to the contributions of a series of essays called the Federalist Papers towards this same institution. Espousing the virtues of equal representation, these documents also promote the ideals of competent representation for the populace and were instrumental in addressing opposition to the ratification of the Constitution during the fledgling years of the United States. With further reflection, the Federalists, as these essays are called, may in turn owe their existence, in terms of their intellectual underpinnings, to the writings of the philosopher
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Government and its different forms appears many times throughout Herodotus’s Histories, sometimes its positive and other times its negative, however in the readings Herodotus demonstrates that it is not the Athenian democratic values that makes freedom but rather the absence of tyranny along with equality among men. Herodotus’s assessment of Athenian democracy is overall a positive development to Greek cultural identity in the eyes of Herodotus.
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In The Republic by Plato, Plato constructed an ideal city where Philosophers would rule. Governed by an aristocratic form of government, it took away some of the most basic rights a normal citizen should deserve, freedom of choice, worship, and assembly were distressed. Though the idea of philosopher kings is good on paper, fundamental flaws of the human kind even described by Plato himself prevent it from being truly successful. The idea of an ideal democratic government like what our founding fathers had envisioned is the most successful and best political form which will ensure individual freedom and keep power struggle to a minimum.
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In summation this paper discussed the three correct types of regimes according to Aristotle; furthermore it examined the deviations of these regimes. This was done by firstly examining a regime led by royalty, secondly by observing the characteristics of an aristocratic regime and thirdly by discussing a regime ran by constitutional government. Finally defining the three correct types of regimes the deviations of these regimes: tyrannical, oligarchic and democratic were examined.
In the Politics Aristotle brings up 3 types of governments, kingship, aristocracy, and polity. Aristotle says that the good forms of these governments are those that aim towards the common good. Aristotle describes the common good as the most authoritative or highest goods. For a city or state this would be the virtue and happiness of its citizens. The common good is brought up time and time again in the Politi...
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