did aristotle believe in aristocracy

Plato, Socrates, Aristotle, Xenophon and the Spartans considered Aristocracy (the ideal form of rule by the few) to be inherently better than the ideal form of rule by the many (Democracy), but they also considered the corrupted form of Aristocracy (Oligarchy

) to be worse than the corrupted form of Democracy (Mob Rule).

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What type of government did Aristotle want?

Aristocracy, in theory, is the next-best constitution after monarchy (because the ruling minority will be the best-qualified to rule), but in practice Aristotle preferred a kind of constitutional democracy, for what he called “polity” is a state in which rich and poor respect each other's rights and the best-qualified ...

Does the word aristocrat come from Aristotle?

Did you know? Since aristos means "best" in Greek, ancient Greeks such as Plato and Aristotle used the word aristocracy to mean a system of rule by the best people—that is, those who deserved to rule because of their intelligence and moral excellence.

Who were known as aristocrats?

Aristocracy is a form of government in which political power is held by a select few privileged people called aristocrats or nobles. Coming from a Greek word meaning “rule by the best,” aristocrats are considered the most qualified to rule because of their moral and intellectual superiority.

What did aristocrats believe in?

Because the high-ranking status of aristocrats was hereditary, there was a common belief that these families somehow naturally had the kind of admirable qualities, like courage, justice, wisdom, that are necessary for the ruling class. These were the 'noble' qualities that came from having 'noble blood' in one's veins.

What is Aristotle's political philosophy?

Aristotle's political science thus encompasses the two fields which modern philosophers distinguish as ethics and political philosophy. (See the entry on Aristotle's ethics .) Political philosophy in the narrow sense is roughly speaking the subject of his treatise called the Politics.

What is Aristotle's constitutional theory?

Aristotle's constitutional theory is based on his theory of justice, which is expounded in Nicomachean Ethics book V. Aristotle distinguishes two different but related senses of “justice” — universal and particular — both of which play an important role in his constitutional theory.

What is the meaning of the aristocratic constitution?

This is what Aristotle understands by an “aristocratic” constitution: literally, the rule of the aristoi, i.e., best persons. Aristotle explores the implications of this argument in the remainder of Politics III, considering the rival claims of the rule of law and the rule of a supremely virtuous individual.

What is Aristotle's general theory of constitutions?

General Theory of Constitutions and Citizenship. Aristotle states that “the politician and lawgiver is wholly occupied with the city-state, and the constitution is a certain way of organizing those who inhabit the city-state” (III.1.1274b36-8). His general theory of constitutions is set forth in Politics III.

What is Aristotle's word for politics?

Aristotle's word for ‘politics’ is politikê, which is short for politikê epistêmê or ‘political science’. It belongs to one of the three main branches of science, which Aristotle distinguishes by their ends or objects.

Which philosopher compared the politician to a craftsman?

This is the province of legislative science, which Aristotle regards as more important than politics as exercised in everyday political activity such as the passing of decrees (see EN VI.8). Aristotle frequently compares the politician to a craftsman.

Which philosopher described his subject matter as “political science”?

In the Nicomachean Ethics Aristotle describes his subject matter as ‘political science’, which he characterizes as the most authoritative science. It prescribes which sciences are to be studied in the city-state, and the others — such as military science, household management, and rhetoric — fall under its authority.

What is the aristocracy in Greece?

In the 1651 book Leviathan, Thomas Hobbes describes an aristocracy as a commonwealth in which the representative of the citizens is an assembly by part only. It is a system in which only a small part of the population represents the government; "certain men distinguished from the rest". Modern depictions of aristocracy tend to regard it not as the ancient Greek concept of rule by the best, but more as an oligarchy or plutocracy —rule by the few or the wealthy.

What did the Greeks not like about the monarchy?

The Greeks did not like the concept of monarchy, and as their democratic system fell, aristocracy was upheld. In the 1651 book Leviathan, Thomas Hobbes describes an aristocracy as a commonwealth in which the representative of the citizens is an assembly by part only.

What is the form of government that places strength in the hands of a small, aristocratic society?

Aristocracy. This article is about the form of government. For the social class, see Aristocracy (class). Aristocracy ( Greek: ἀριστοκρατία aristokratía, from ἄριστος aristos 'excellent', and κράτος, kratos 'rule') is a form of government that places strength in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocrats.

Is aristocracy a class?

In contrast to its original conceptual drawing in classical antiquity, aristocracy has been associated in the modern era with its more general and degenerated form of oligarchy, specifically an aristocracy class based oligarchy, with entitled nobility as in monarchies or aristocratic merchant republics. Its original classical understanding has been taken up by the modern concepts that can be loosely equivalent to meritocracy or technocracy .

Who created the aristocracy?

As conceived by the Greek philosopher Aristotle (384–322 bce ), aristocracy means the rule of the few—the morally and intellectually superior—governing in the interest of all.

What are some examples of social aristocracy?

The Brahman caste in India, the Spartiates in Sparta, the eupatridae in Athens, the patricians or Optimates in Rome, and the medieval nobility in Europe are various historical examples of the social aristocracy or nobility. Most such social aristocracies both legally and factually have been hereditary aristocracies.

Why is it difficult to distinguish between aristocratic and oligarchic governments?

Because “best qualified to rule” is an evaluative notion, it is difficult to distinguish objectively between aristocratic and oligarchic or timocratic governments. Because a monarchical system has its own aristocracy and because the people generally try to elect those they consider the “best” as their rulers in democracies, ...

Overview

• Aristotle (b. 384 d. 322 BCE), was a Greek philosopher, logician, and scientist. Along with his teacher Plato, Aristotle is generally regarded as one of the most influential ancient thinkers in a number of philosophical fields, including political theory. Aristotle was born in Stagira in northern Greece, and his father was a court physician to the...

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