Aristotle vs Plato Essay

Aristotle and Socrates and Platos beliefs deliver similarities primarily evident in their denounce handst of democracy for the state. The views of Socrates verbalised and written by his pupil Plato atomic number 18 immensely philosophical in nature and he promotes the paper of questioning life-time to achieve insight. The philosophers who possess the secure truth argon the beat out equipped to regularise society harmonize to Plato and his fabrication of the Cave. Conversely, Aristotle takes a much than political science approach of discussing and analyzing various constitutions to assure the best form of government, where the rational universes in a society are the graphic getrs.Aristotle promotes the fancy of rule based on law rather than unsubdivided superiority. The differences in these beliefs are important because of the implications of Aristotles writings, which bid a way for citizens and statesmen to utilize philosophy in politics and the state. Consequentl y, information in political sympathies is seen again by means ofout modern politics. The similarities of Aristotles beliefs talked with his writings in Politics to the beliefs of Plato and Socrates expressed in the recorded dialogues of The Republic are centered in the main on a fear of democracy.Aristotle asserts that however those who are concerned with merit and good government should be the leaders in a society or community (CP 325). In Book III of Politics Aristotle describes what the role of the majority should be in politics, By means of these considerations, too, one might solve the enigma mentioned earlier and besides the related one of what the lax should defecate authority over, that is to say, the multitude of the citizens who are non rich and surrender no claim any(prenominal)(prenominal) arising from virtue.For it would not be sage to have them get into in the most important offices, since, because of their lack of arbitrator and practical wisdom, th ey would inevitably act unjustly in some instances and compel mistakes in others. (CP 325) Through this view, Aristotle expresses his qualm of a total democracy that is par onlyel to the ideas of his mentors. Plato attacks democracy and describes the disbursement of political independence to the masses as an intoxication of wine, claiming that a democratic urban center gets inebriated on too much unmixed freedom (Plato).Plato details the filtration of this drunkenness from society disobeying rulers trickling down to the word of honor disrespecting the father and eventually equal rights in dealing between the sexes (Plato). Plato and Aristotle share this skepticism of democracy. The limitation of freedom, liberty, and equality not only with bets to mistrust of democracy simply also in terms of denial of citizenship and apology of slavery are commonalities in the t separatelyings of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Plato accepts slavery passim The Republic, because he often deems whole groups of people pathetic of freedom.Aristotles justifies slavery through the characteristic of ground he claims that there is a condition of natural slavery where when one being is rational and the other is not, there is a natural master-slave relationship (CP 309). For if something is able-bodied of rational foresight, it is a natural ruler and master, whereas what forever can use its body to labor is command and is a natural slave (CP 309). These justifications of slavery make neither Plato nor Aristotle egalitarians. Aristotle and Plato both express the magnificence of excellence, each in different ways.Plato believes that humans are operative towards excellence when they are pursuing that which they are best suited for based on the division of men into three formes lovers of wisdom, victory, and profit (Plato). Aristotle claims that the excellence of human beings is achieved through their participation in the state, and performing their functions in society, he relies less on the caste system of Plato and more on the capability of the individual. Socrates and Plato illustrate the idea of the unknowing of humanity and its lack of enlightenment through the Allegory of the Cave.In this analogy, Plato presents a society of prisoners living in a cavelike underground dwelling where they have been set up foot and neck since childhood (PLATO,? ALLEGORY? OF? THE? FORMS? FROM? THE? republic)). The prisoners can only see a paries directly in front of them and behind them is a fire between the prisoners and the fire is a passageway that people walk along carrying things on their heads, including figures of men and animals made of wood, stone, and other materials which cast shadows on the palisade in front of the prisoners (PLATO,?ALLEGORY? OF? THE? FORMS? FROM? THE? democracy)). nigh of the people on the road talk, creating echoes in the cave. The prisoners regard these shadows and sounds as populace, as it is all they have ever cognise of the world. Plato and Socrates then present the situation of a prisoner who escapes from the cave, and after adjusting to the light, realizes the true nature of creation and after that hed contemplate the supernal bodies and heaven itself by night, finding starlight and moonlight easier to emotional state at than sunlight and the sun (PLATO,?ALLEGORY? OF? THE? FORMS? FROM? THE? REPUBLIC).Eventually the prisoner would contemplate the sun and shut down that this is the giver of seasons and years, curator of all in the visible(a) sphere, the cause somehow of all that he utilise to see (PLATO,? ALLEGORY? OF? THE? FORMS? FROM? THE? REPUBLIC). The prisoner returns to the cave, only to be doubted and misunderstood by the other prisoners. In this parable, the philosopher is like the prisoner who escapes, and is the person has seen the true reality and has been enlightened to the truth.Through this analogy, Plato describes who he believes should govern society. Since it is the philoso phers who have seen true reality and understood positive truth, they are the best suited to rule in society. Thus, the consequences of the ideas presented in the Allegory of the Cave are a thought class of enlightened philosophers who will direct the city towards absolute truth and harmony. The differences between the philosophies of Aristotle and Plato are unmingled in Aristotles dismissal of the Allegory of the Cave.Aristotle rejects the idea of an absolute truth, and stresses rationality rather than enlightenment as determining characteristics of a ruling class. Aristotle focuses on the importance of citizenship in Politics and the participation in the state. Aristotle claims that if and so there are several kinds of constitution, there cannot be a single virtue that is the virtue -the realised virtude -of a good citizen, but that the good man, does express a single, complete virtue, and thus, it is possible for someone to be a good citizen without having the virtue expresse d by a good man (CP 322).Aristotle challenges the idea of absolute governing power of a select class of philosopher kings that is presented by Plato and Socrates and identifies the problems that are raised by much(prenominal) a ruling class. The way Socrates selects his rulers is also risky. He makes the same people rule all the time, which becomes a cause of conflict even among people with no merit, and all the more so among spirited and soldierly men. Aristotle assembles and exams constitutions and is in that way more of a political scientist than a philosopher, while Plato and Socrates focused on notional and metaphysical questions closely the universe and the soul.Aristotle extends his analysis of constitutions and in doing so reveals serious political problems that would arise from Socrates and Platos view of governance. These problems would inhibit the individuals ability to participate in the state, something that Aristotle believes is essential to the good of individuals and the good of the community. Aristotle presents the problem of arising factions in Book V of Politics and states that if people have no share in office or are treated unjustly or arrogantly, the locomote factions and change constitutions (Moschella).Plato and Socrates believed that the philosophers knew what was best for all, and thus there would be no discontent or revolution. Aristotles rendering of factions caused by inequality challenges that notion and even advises change magnitude the middle class to help dissolve factions (Moschella). Aristotle also disagrees with the idea of the interrelated state presented by Socrates wherein the nuclear family is rejected and children are transferred throughout the community. Aristotle claims that the more unified a city-state becomes, the less of a city-state is becomes as city-states by definition require diversity (CP 310).This unity creates problems according to Aristotle who states, For a household and a city-state must therefo re be a unity up to a point, but not totally so. For there is a point at which it will, as it goes on, not be a city-state, and another at which, by being n earlier not a city-state, it will be a worse one (CP 310). The political consequences of the disagreements between Aristotle and Socrates/Plato are a liberalization of the class system, as well as new definition of virtue and purpose in the state.Aristotles description and advice about politics in his work allow for the appearing of a discussion about factions, the consequences of which are manifested umteen centuries later in the Federalist Papers. Aristotle describes ways to balance the interests of the few with the interests of the many, the interests of minority and the majority, and of the wealthy and the poor through his gang of oligarchy and democracy into polity. Through this idea of addressing factions and political interdependency Aristotle outlines the way to a lasting state.Aristotles claims of law, constitution, polity, factions, and citizenship all have comparability to many U. S. notions of political life even his justification of slavery is reminiscent of the views of some founding fathers. Aristotle discovered and outlined many elements of early American political thought long before the existence of the United States. Aristotle himself said, For practically speaking, all things have been discovered, although some have not been collected, and others are known about but not used (CP 315). make water cited Moschella, Melissa. Aristotles Politics Study Guide sum-up and Analysis of Book V. GradeSaver, 01 May 2000 Web. 25 April 2013. Plato, . The Republic. . http//classics. mit. edu/Plato/republic. 10. ix. html, n. d. Web. 22 Apr 2013. . PLATO,? ALLEGORY? OF? THE? FORMS? FROM? THE? REPUBLIC. . N. p.. Web. 22 Apr 2013. .