Plato and Aristotle
Political Science - Theory and Thoughts · Unit II · Topic 5 of 17 · 6 min read
Cases checked to exist. Read the judgment before quoting a holding.
Every case cited here has been checked to exist — the citation resolves and names the right parties. The propositions attributed to each case have not been verified line by line against the judgment. Case names link through to the full judgment: read it before quoting a holding in an examination answer, and never carry a proposition from notes into court on trust.
1. Plato (427–347 BCE)
An Athenian, the pupil of Socrates and teacher of Aristotle; founded the Academy in Athens (c. 387 BCE). His political works are the Republic (the ideal State), the Statesman and the Laws (a second-best State governed by law). The execution of Socrates in 399 BCE by the Athenian democracy, and the disorder of Athens after its defeat in the Peloponnesian War, turned him against democracy and towards rule by the wise.
Theory of justice
The Republic is subtitled “concerning justice”. Plato rejects three views: justice as speaking the truth and paying debts (Cephalus), as giving each his due (Polemarchus), and as the interest of the stronger (Thrasymachus). His own view rests on a parallel between the soul and the State.
| Part of the soul | Class in the State | Virtue |
|---|---|---|
| Reason | Rulers (philosophers, guardians) | Wisdom |
| Spirit | Auxiliaries (soldiers) | Courage |
| Appetite | Producers (farmers, artisans) | Temperance |
Justice is each class doing its own function and not interfering with the others. It is the harmony of the whole, both in the individual and in the State. It is a moral, not a legal, idea.
Scheme of education
Plato made education the main instrument for producing justice. It is State-controlled and compulsory, open to men and women alike, and selective at each stage.
- Elementary stage, to about 20: music (including literature, with censored poetry and myths) for the soul, and gymnastics for the body.
- At 20, a test: those who fail become producers. The rest study mathematics, geometry, astronomy and harmonics for ten years.
- At 30, a second test: those who fail become auxiliaries. The rest study dialectic (philosophy) for five years.
- 35 to 50: practical experience in public office.
- At 50: those who have reached the vision of the Good become philosopher-rulers.
Assessment. Its merits are equality of opportunity for women, State responsibility for education, and the link between education and public service. Its defects are censorship, neglect of the producing class, and a long training that leaves no room for individual choice.
Communism
For the guardians and auxiliaries only, Plato abolished private property (they live in common barracks and are maintained by the producers) and the private family (temporary unions arranged by the State, children raised in common). His purpose was to remove the two great distractions from public duty: greed and family attachment. Unlike Marxist communism it is not economic, does not cover the producers, and is ascetic rather than material. Aristotle criticised it: what is common to all is cared for by none.
The philosopher-king
“Until philosophers are kings, or the kings and princes of this world have the spirit and power of philosophy, cities will never have rest from their evils.” The ruler rules by knowledge, not by law or consent. Criticism: it is authoritarian, it assumes such men can be found and will not be corrupted, and it makes no provision for checking them. In the Laws Plato himself accepted rule by law as a second-best.
2. Aristotle (384–322 BCE)
Born at Stagira, studied at Plato’s Academy for about twenty years, tutor to Alexander, founded the Lyceum in Athens. His Politics is based on a study of 158 constitutions. He is called the father of political science because he used an inductive, comparative method and separated politics from metaphysics.
Views on the State
- Natural: “Man is by nature a political animal.” He who lives outside the State is either a beast or a god.
- Origin: the family (for daily needs), the village (a union of families) and the polis (a union of villages). The State “comes into existence for the sake of mere life, and continues in existence for the sake of a good life.”
- Prior to the individual: as the whole is prior to the part; the hand cut off from the body is no longer a hand.
- Self-sufficient and the highest of associations, aiming at the highest good.
- Citizen: one who shares in the administration of justice and in holding office. Labourers, slaves and women were excluded.
Classification of governments
Two tests: the number of rulers, and the end they serve (the common good or their own interest).
| Rulers | Pure form (common good) | Perverted form (self-interest) |
|---|---|---|
| One | Monarchy | Tyranny |
| Few | Aristocracy | Oligarchy |
| Many | Polity | Democracy |
He also described a cycle: monarchy decays into tyranny, is replaced by aristocracy, which decays into oligarchy, then polity, then democracy, and the cycle returns to monarchy. Criticism: the classification is based on Greek city-states and does not fit modern States; Aristotle used “democracy” for rule by the poor in their own interest, a meaning very different from ours. Its value is the two-fold test, which is still used.
The best State
Aristotle distinguishes the ideal State (rule by one or a few men of perfect virtue, rarely possible) from the best practicable State. The latter is polity: a mixture of oligarchy and democracy, in which the middle class is large and holds power. The middle class is neither arrogant like the rich nor envious like the poor, and so gives stability. This is the doctrine of the golden mean applied to politics. Law, not a man, should be sovereign.
Revolution
Book V of the Politics. The general cause is the desire for equality, seen differently by different groups: democrats think that being equal in one respect (free birth) makes men equal in all; oligarchs think that being unequal in one respect (wealth) makes them unequal in all. Particular causes include insolence and greed of rulers, fear, contempt, disproportionate growth of one class, and election intrigues. Remedies: respect for law, guarding against small changes, a strong middle class, education in the spirit of the constitution, and not allowing any one person to grow too powerful.
Slavery and property
Aristotle defended slavery as natural for those who lack the capacity for reason; this is the weakest part of his thought. He defended private property against Plato, but wanted its use to be common through generosity.
How this is examined
January 2026 (100-mark): “Explain Aristotle’s views on State and Government” (16 marks). January 2026 (80-mark): “Discuss Aristotle’s classification of Government” (10 marks). January 2025: “Explain Aristotle’s views on State and classification of Government in Greek political thought” (16 marks). June 2025: “Explain the education system of Plato” and “Which is the Best State according to Aristotle?” (10 marks each). Draw the classification table in every Aristotle answer; it earns marks quickly.
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