Aristotle – UGC NET – Political Science Notes

Aristotle

(Detailed Notes)

Western Political Thought (Unit 2)

UGC NET POLITICAL SCIENCE

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ARISTOTLE

Table of Contents

LIFE SKETCH
ARISTOTLE’S CORPUS
CRITIQUE OF PLATO
CONCEPTION OF HUMAN NATURE AND STATE
NATURE OF HAPPINESS OR EUDAIMONIA
HOUSEHOLD (SLAVES, WOMEN AND PROPERTY)
Women and Family
Property
Distributive Justice
RULE OF LAW AND CONSTITUTION
Polity
Citizenship
Revolution: Causes and Remedies
CONCLUSION

Aristotle was a towering figure in intellectual history, contributing extensively to a wide range of disciplines.
He was the first philosopher to realize that explaining the universe required a complete inventory and description of available knowledge.
His works are considered an encyclopaedia of knowledge, encompassing subjects like aesthetics, biology, ethics, logic, physics, politics, and psychology.
Aristotle's work in natural sciences was highly regarded until the 17th century, although his scientific theories have since been superseded.
Despite this, he is still seen as an accurate observer of nature.
For medieval thinkers, the recovery of Aristotle was not just about philosophy but also acquiring an entire encyclopaedia of scientific knowledge.
Aristotle was a master of all fields of human speculation, and medieval thinkers viewed him as a personification of human reason integrated with divine revelation in Christian tradition.
He combined research with teaching, dominating the entire spectrum of human thought for centuries.
Aristotle’s Politics focused on human behaviour, political institutions, constitutions, and the factors influencing political stability.
While Plato was an idealist and a radical, Aristotle was a realist and a moderate.
He is considered the father of political science for his systematic analysis and classification of existing constitutions.
His use of the comparative method remains relevant in contemporary political science.
Aristotle viewed political science as the master science because it studied human beings within political society, asserting that a meaningful life is possible only as a member of a state.
He advocated for aristocratic rule, believing in rule by a few on behalf of the people but acknowledged its difficulty.
For feasibility, accountability, and efficiency, he proposed a mixed form of government where all citizens would rule and be ruled in rotation, preventing a monopoly on power.
Aristotle emphasized the importance of power sharing and elite accommodation, principles seen in modern democracies.
The desire for knowledge was the driving force in Aristotle’s life, and his activities aimed to promote the discovery of truth and expand human knowledge.
He believed happiness consisted in a life devoted to intellectual activity and contemplation.
Aristotle rejected the idea that everyday reality was either senseless or a mere reflection of a higher realm.
He believed that logic exists in reality and that discovering it requires careful observation and reasoning.

LIFE SKETCH

Aristotle was born in 384 BC at Stagira, on the northeastern coast of the Aegean Sea.
His father, Nicomachus, was a court physician to King Amyntas III of Macedon, and the family was affluent.
Aristotle developed an early interest in medicine and biology.
He had every opportunity to develop a scientific mindset and was prepared to become the founder of science.
Aristotle was known to have a sense of humour, was a good speaker, and persuasive in conversation.
Some stories portrayed him as having squandered his wealth due to self-indulgence, forcing him to join the army to avoid starvation.
In 367 BC, at age 17, he joined Plato’s Academy, where he stayed for 20 years as both a student and faculty member.
After Plato’s death in 348 BC, Aristotle left the Academy for Asia Minor, likely due to issues of succession within the Academy.
Speusippus, Plato's nephew, succeeded Plato, and Aristotle’s departure could have been related to his strained relations with Speusippus and the anti-Macedonian sentiment in Athens.
Aristotle’s interest in natural sciences grew during his time in Asia Minor, where he met Hippias and married his niece.
In 343 BC, Aristotle became the tutor of Alexander the Great, who was 14 at the time.
After Philip of Macedon’s assassination in 336 BC, Alexander succeeded to the throne, which led to less time for studies.
In 335 BC, Aristotle left Macedon and returned to Athens, where he founded the Lyceum.
The Lyceum was a place of research, teaching, and administrative duties. It was also a public leisure center where Aristotle lectured in the mornings and evenings.
The Lyceum lacked formal structures like examinations, degrees, or official enrollment.
Aristotle’s research in biology and history was supported by a large collection of biological specimens, some sent by Alexander and other students.
He studied 158 constitutions and had the largest collection of books and manuscripts among his contemporaries.
Aristotle was the first to create a library and establish principles of library classification.
Aristotle’s relationship with Alexander deteriorated in 326 BC due to the latter’s claim of becoming an oriental monarch, which led to the imprisonment and death of Callisthenes, a philosopher and friend of Aristotle.
Aristotle’s pro-Macedonian stance became precarious in Athens, which declared war on Macedonia after Alexander’s death in 323 BC.
Fearing for his life, Aristotle left Athens, avoiding a second crime against philosophy (after the execution of Socrates).
Aristotle continued to support the idea of the polis (self-governing city-state) as the ideal form of government, even as the Macedonian Empire was changing the political landscape.
His political views did not adapt to the changing reality of the city-states, leading some to describe his Politics as a retrospective anachronism.
Aristotle spent his final year in Chalcis, Euboea, and died in 322 BC at the age of 62 from chronic indigestionaggravated by overwork.

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