Aristotle seems to be: (a) critical of democracy; (b) unable to recognize the intellectual and ethical equality of women; and, (c)
PART I: Your Paper — Choose one of the following questions to answer:
Aristotle says: “He who is without a city, by reason of his own nature and not of some accident, is either a poor sort of being, or a being higher than man” (Pol I.2 1253a4). So, should we strive for a contemplative life, and become a being higher than man, or should we strive for politics and be just man? Why?
Aristotle seems to be: (a) critical of democracy; (b) unable to recognize the intellectual and ethical equality of women; and, (c) a supporter of the goodness of natural slavery. In what way can Aristotle’s political philosophy still guide us today, despite or because of these views?
Consider the following ways of life: (a) being a citizen under a kingship; (b) a ruler within a politeia (“constitutional government”); and, (c) a philosopher under a tyranny
If you could choose, which way of the ways of life listed above would be the best for you and your community to lead, and which way of life would be the worst? Why? How might Aristotle help us to judge whether features of modern society are either worthy or unworthy of us? Provide an Aristotelian argument for which feature of modern society we ought to preserve and which feature we ought to remove? Why? Your purpose in writing the paper is to demonstrate your knowledge of Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics and Politics as well as your ability to develop an argument to defend your answer to one of the above questions. In political philosophy, there are no right or wrong answers, only good or bad arguments. Good arguments will reflect the student’s own reasoning and deliberations and are supported by the evidence and interpretation of the assigned Aristotle readings. Use both the Politics and the Nicomachean Ethics in your answer.
Answer preview for Aristotle seems to be: (a) critical of democracy; (b) unable to recognize the intellectual and ethical equality of women; and, (c)
Chicago
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