The abnormal deviations which seek the benefit of the rulers, are called tyranny, oligarchy (domination of the rich over the poor) and democracy (domination of the poor over the rich). The normal forms of government, which aim at the good of the community, are called kingship, aristocracy (the rule of the best) and constitutional government. The virtue of a ruler is the same as the virtue of a good man, combining moral virtue with 'prudence'. The State arises from the natural division of power in the family and in trading relations.

No Time? Read THE VERY, VERY SQUASHED VERSION. This is the abridged version first published under the editorship of John Hammerton in 1919. SquaPo has got Aristotle's Ethicsand Politics, and nice little abridgements of works by his predecessors Plato and Socrates such as The Republic. This may suggest that, in two and a half thousand years, people haven't changed all that much. His work is a foundation of the subject of politics even to the present day and, if some of his doctrines are interesting primarily as illustrating the difference in the conditions of the ancient world, others are as true to-day as they were of the City States of ancient Greece. It follows-on from his Ethics, and is said to have resulted from Aristotle's study of the constitutions of over a hundred of the little Greek States. Wikipedia - Print Edition: ISBN Full TextĪlthough it is a bit later than the Republic of Plato, the Politics of Aristotle is is commonly seen as the first ever book to deal with politics as a practical science. Squashed down to read in about 25 minutes Squashed Philosophers - Aristotle - Politics

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