Plato and Aristotle: An Analysis Essay

Determining the dress hat induce of political tie-up was important to the ancient Greek philosophers Plato and Aristotle, and each of them expressed his opinion in important works such as the Republic and Politics. In explaining, comparing, and secernate the political philosophies of Plato and Aristotle, it is evident that each of them shargond the equal goal of identifying and promoting the outmatch form of political government. They withal shared in parkland the same philosophy regarding the origins of a political state. The plead arises, Plato says by Socrates in the Republic, emerge of the needs of mankind. (Plato) Aristotle agrees, and declares that the state is a political dampennership that exists for purposes of self-sufficiency as well as for the sake of living well. In other words, the State exists in order to provide for the well-being of its citizens. Aristotle expresses this in Politics when he argues, the good smell is the purpose of the city-state. (Arist otle) Further more(prenominal), two Aristotle and Plato agreed that Man is by nature a political animal, because he has the ability to express his thoughts close justice.Their respective analyses reflected their respect for justice, and their elevation of it to the highest priority. In the Republic, Plato defines just political master as a system in which each interest is convenient to the proper extent and everyone has what is theirs. The philosophers have the knowledge they necessity the warriors have the honors they want and the commoners have the goods and pleasures they want, under the enlightened guidance of philosophers and warriors. The methods of Aristotle and Plato were similar in more ways.They both utilized logic, evaluations of contemporary politics, and lengthy comparisons of various types of political eclipse to arrive at their conclusions. As citizens of ancient Greece, they both shared oftentimes the same outlook on society, religion, morality, and politics. They also shared similar diachronic perspectives, and their perceptions of contemporary events were formed through the same philosophical context. One of the contrasts surrounded by their methods is that Plato utilize analogies to make his points.He examined a political state by comparing the state with the gay soul. Unlike Aristotle, he also use a style of approach in which he made his points through dialogues involving Socrates. He also designed an noble-minded state run by plenty he referred to as The Guardians which differed from Aristotles approach in Politics, in which style and form more closely resembled an essay or monologue. In Politics, Aristotle emphasized that correct political rule involves pursuing policies which are to the common advantage of the most people.Aristotle reasoned that rulers who placed their own interests above everyone elses had no political legitimacy, for their tyranny brought suffering upon their own people. Aristotle described the beat out (p) forms of political rule as kingship, aristocracy and polity, and described the worst forms as tyranny, oligarchy and democracy. Plato was also harshly critical of tyranny, and described it in the Republic as, not a matter of minor theft and violence, but of wholesale plunder, reverend and profane, private or public. (Plato) Both mens methods involved a comprehensive analysis of the consequences of each form of rule.Aristotle criticized Democracy because its consequences were rule by the multitude, which causes injustice. He criticized Oligarchy because its consequences were rule by the wealthy, which also causes injustice and he criticized totalism because its consequences were dictatorship, which again causes injustice. In terms of the merits of the citizenry, Aristotle notes that the people may collectively be the best judges of certain things, so it is justified for them to take part in deliberations. But like Plato, he feels that the common people are not qualified to sha re in the highest offices.Both Plato and Aristotle also agree that laws need to be made in accordance with the regime, and agree that the more just a ruler is, the more just the laws will be. Essenti all toldy, both Aristotle and Plato asserted that the goal of politics should be justice. One difference among them is that Plato believed that the best claim to rule was education and honor, although he conceded that there is also a claim to rule based on wealth and on numbers. Another difference is that Aristotle emphasized that the most important task for a leader was to be a lawgiver, and to frame the appropriate constitution for the city-state.In Aristotles system, it was the leaders duty to provide enduring laws, customs, and institutions for the citizens. concord to Aristotle, once the constitution was in place, the ruler needed to take the incumbent steps to maintain it, to implement reforms when he considered them necessary, and to guard against any putrefaction of the pol itical system. Aristotles emphasis on a constitution sets him asunder from Plato, who considered philosopher kingship the best form of political rule. Aristotle described a constitution as a certain ordering of the inhabitants of the city-state, and as the way of life of the citizens.(Aristotle) He also speaks of the constitution of a community as the form of the increase and argues that whether the community is the same over time depends on whether it has the same constitution. (Aristotle) It should be noted that despite the fact that Aristotles political contemplates were influenced by Plato, he was very critical of the ideal city-state set forth in Platos Republic. He based his criticism on the grounds that Platos ideal city-state overvalued political unity, embraced a system of communism that was impractical and inimical to human nature, and neglected the happiness of the individual citizens.In contrast, in Aristotles view of the ideal State each and every citizen would have moral virtue and the equipment to carry it out in practice, and thereby attain a life of excellence and complete happiness. All of the citizens would hold political office and possess private property because one should call the city-state happy not by looking at a part of it but at all the citizens. (Aristotle) In conclusion, the ancient Greek philosophers Plato and Aristotle were both concerned with identifying and promoting the best form of political association.In works such as the Republic and Politics, they used similar methods of analysis to evaluate the best form of political rule. For Aristotle, the best form of political rule corresponded to the best way of life for a human being. Since the best way of life is living nobly and consort to virtue, the best political form of rule is the one which promotes this kind of life. For Plato, the best form of political rule was Aristocracy, for it involves rule by the best people in the political community. Bibliography Aristotle. Politics. New York Dover Publications, 2000. Plato. Republic. New York Viking Press, 1955.