Aristotle's Politics
Dear Aristotle,
I must say I was particularly impressed by your Politics. It was an interesting read precisely because it commented on the basic nature of man -- man is a political animal; of society, communities and the concept of the City. Living the modern world, the concept of "the City" has always confused me because modern urban settings seem so inhuman sometimes -- so immersed in modern materialism or consumerism, in richness and wealth and extravagance (the comforts), everything that seems to bury humanity underneath. Or, the opposite is the case -- cities are dens of violence and crime and people are afraid to leave their homes out of fear. Neither extreme seems good -- so I enjoyed reading about your take on what it means to be a City and how this is a good way to organize society.
What I particularly liked was that you affirmed that a City is not just a community that is large but is rather composed of many families/villages united under a single aim -- mainly to be self-sufficient and able to live well. By living well, of course, you refer to the ability to live virtuously so that one might pursue the common good (at least, that is the way I understood it). This idea connected in my mind to the idea of Buddhist Economists, which views work and labor as having a three-fold purpose -- first, to develop the faculties and skills of the...
Thus I could identify a universal concept in your conception of the City and what it means to be part of a community that is united in the aim of bettering one another.
I find that your conception of community is far different from ours in the modern world, however. I think that we today tend to view ourselves as something less than we really are. We tend to think of ourselves as economical animals -- people who just need our equal measure of goods and income, our house, car, etc., and all will be well. I think to some extent our fathers had this in their generation -- but look at how things have deteriorated. In my view, we are more than mere consumers who want to be comfortable. I think you have definitely touched on something important -- the need to band together to work towards something higher. I may not have clearly understood what it is you were saying about how a community should be organized and led, but I sensed that your idea was rooted in some higher good -- a kind of transcendental virtue. I would like to read your Politics again -- and, actually, I would like to read your other works, as well as those by Plato, who came before you. Your comments upon the teachings of Socrates and Plato are interesting…
