Political Essay
ljj
PlatoApril8.pptxOutline of today’s lecture
Recap Plato’s metaphysics
What is true philosophy for Plato?
Allegory of the Cave: how likely is the marriage between philosophy and politics?
Aristotle
Aristotle: context
The telos in Aristotle: more developed than in Plato
Important innovations in Aristotle
The Politics Bk. I
Household-->Village--> Polis
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What is true philosophy for Plato?
essential structure of reality
right order in the soul
p. 212, 518d: “one must turn away from…”
Task of the philosopher:
p. 172, 479e: “those who always contemplate things in themselves….”
p.189, 500c: “he whose mind is fixed on…”
501b: “Their work will frequently require them…”
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So, to summarize The Republic:
Central questions of the text
Plato’s theory of human nature
Rule by different elements of nature
better and worse ways to live
Connection between regime and people
Marriage of wisdom and power
Allegory of the Cave (pp. 209-215)
“all he had seen before….” p. 210, 515d
“would they not kill him?” 517a
Plato’s pessimism? Pp. 188-189, 499 a, e
“The truth is…” p. 213, 520 d
“If these are his purposes…” p. 283
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Aristotle
the telos
Importance of nature: “it is by looking at how things….” p. 41
Telos as development/completion: “what something is when….” p. 43
Excellence as distinctively human
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Important innovations in Aristotle
theoretical vs. practical reasoning
2. marriage of philosophy and politics.
Spoudaios
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The Politics, Bk. I
Ch 1. Household-->Village--->Polis
Partnership: koinonia
“the household is the community constituted by nature for the needs of daily life” p. 42
“the first community arising from several households and the for the sake of non-daily needs is the village” p. 42
“the first community arising from several villages is the city” p. 43
Mere life” vs “the good life”
Ch. 2 “Man is by nature a political animal” p. 43
“man alone among the animals has speech” p.43
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