Aristotle

Aristotle (384-322 BC) was born in Northern Greece. He moved to Athens where he associated himself with Plato's academy. He later became tutor to the young Alexander the Great at the Macedonian court but returned to Athens in 335 to found his own school of philosophy. Aristotle's basic political contention was that the state is a natural entity and is the perfect form of human community. This view of man's relation to the state has been one of the most persistent in the history of political thought and has been developed in many ways by a multitude of thinkers. [In his own writings Aristotle developed and explained existing political arrangements rather than offering radical alternatives, and this conservative practicality was highly regarded by political thinkers prior to 1789. On the other hand, the high evaluation which Aristotle placed on the middle orders of society appeals to readers of a more egalitarian age.] The articles in this scholarly collection offer insights into many areas of Aristotle's work, including forms of government, the place of the individual in relation to the state and ethical, economic and sociological considerations.