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The Meaning of Aristocracy in Aristotle's Political Thought The Meaning of Aristocracy In Aristotle's Political Thought Liz Anne Alexander -4 thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Graduate Department of Political Science Lniversity of Toronto Copyright @ 199'7 by Liz Anne Alesander National Library Bibliothèque nationale 191 of Canada du Canada Acquisitions and Acquisitions et Bibliographic Services services bibliographiques 395 Wellington Street 395. rue Wellington OttawaON K1AON4 Ottawa ON K 1A ON4 Canada Canada The author has granted a non- L'auteur a accordé une licence non exclusive Licence dowing the exclusive permettant à la National Library of Canada to Bibliothèque nationale du Canada de reproduce, loan, distribute or seil reproduire, prêter, distribuer ou copies of this thesis in microform, vendre des copies de cette thèse sous paper or electronic formats. la forme de microfiche/fih, de reproduction sur papier ou sur format électronique. The author retains ownership of the L'auteur conserve la propriété du copyright in this thesis. Neither the droit d'auteur qui protège cette thèse. thesis nor substantial extracts from it Ni la thèse ni des extraits substantiels may be printed or otherwise de celle-ci ne doivent être imprimés reproduced without the author's ou autrement reproduits sans son permission. autorisation. To my family Abstract The Meanzng of Aristocracy in Aristotle's Political Thought Liz Anne Alexander Ph.D. 1997, Graduate Department of Political Science, University of Toronto What is the relationship between Aristotle's concern for the best regime and virtue and his concern for practical political matters? This is one of the most perplexing interpretative questions of the Polztics. By investigating the meaning of aristocracy in the Politics, we get a much better understanding of this relationship than currently esists. We learn that there are actually two best regimes in the Politics. lhere is the regime discussed in books VI1 and VIII, w-hich Aristotle esplicitly presents as the best regime. It is an aristocratic regime and it functions as an aristocratic standard for commonly existing regimes. .~ristotle7sconcern for it and the virtue that defines it is part of his concern for practical political matters. But Aristotle also quietly presents another regime as the best regime in the Politics. It is aristocracy in the strict sense of the term or the simply best regirne. Aristotle discusses it in book III of the Polztics and it turns out to be the same as the best regime in logos of Plato's Republzc, the regime ruled by philosopher-kings. The simply best regime is not any sort of standard for existing regimes. .4ristotle's concern for it and the virtue that defines it is not directly related to his concern for practical political matters. The investigation of aristocracy reveals that the concern for the best regime and virtue in the Politics is both part of and separate from the concern for practical political matters. But since Aristotle only quietly presents the teaching on the sirnply best regime. the investigation also elucidates the peculiar character of his political thought. of how it aims primarily yet not exclusively at practical political matters. Acknowledgments 1 would first of al1 like to thank my supervisor, Clifford Onvin, for his always insightfui advice and his encouragement at every stage of this work. 1 am also very much indebted to Thomas Pangle for his guidance and assistance. Ronald Beiner. the t hird mernber of my supervisory cornmittee, provided very useful advice for improving rny discussion of the seconda- literature. I am indebted to James Alvey for reading and commenting on early versions of the dissertation and for his encouragement: and to Adam Grove for reading and commenting on the nearly final draft. Benjamin Wongo Jeffrey Sikkenga, and Ji11 Yang read and commented on preliminary work leading to the dissertation. 1 will always be indebted to my first teacher in political philosophy. Leon Craig, and thank him for his ongoing support. 1 would also like to thank Heidi Studer for her assistance. The support of my sister: Judy Walker, and cousin. Beno John, was also instrumental in the completion of this work. Shelley MacLarty and Margaret McKone, the current and former graduate administrators, cleared away various administrative hurdles throughout the course of my graduate education. And Peter Russell, who was graduate chair during the first part of my candidacy, provided his guidance. 1 would also like to acknowledge the three years of financial support provided by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, in the form of a doctoral fellowship. My greatest debt in completing this work. however. is to my husband, Fahiem Bacchus. For without his sure guidance in the actual mriting of it. his resolute encouragement. and inestimable support. it would not have seen the light of day. Contents 1 Introduction 1 2 The Best Regimes of the Politics 10 2.1 Introduction ................................ 10 2.2 The Shltiplicity of Aristocracy ..................... 13 2.3 The Two Best Regimes .......................... 20 2.4 The Sirnply Best Regime Esplained ................... 30 2.5 -1ristotle's Innovation ........................... 46 '2.6 Conclusion ................................. 53 3 The Middle Realm 55 .* 3.1 Introduction ................................ m 3.2 TheLesser.~ristocracies ......................... 58 3.3 The Best Possible Regime ........................ 64 3.3.1 The Middle Class Regime .................... 64 3.3.2 Difficulties with the Middle Class Regime ............ 67 vii .. 3.3.3 Gentlemen and the Best Possible Regime ............ , a 3.3.4 The Best Possible Regime .................... 79 3.4 The Best Regime for Most Cities .................... 87 3.5 Conclusion ................................. 92 4 Virtue and the City 93 4.1 Introduction ................................ 93 4 The Spartan Regime ........................... 96 4.3 The Carthaginian Regime ........................ 105 4.4 Aristocratic Modes ............................ 116 4 .5 The More Feasible Aristocratic Regime ................. 122 4.6 Democracies . Oligarchies, and the Practical Aristocratic Regme ... 126 4.7 Conclusion ................................. 136 5 Conclusion 6 Other Interpretations 144 6.1 Introduction ................................ 144 6 The Interpretations ............................ 146 6.3 Conclusion ................................ 178 Bibliography Chapter 1 Introduction It is hardly necessary to justifq- the study of Aristotle's Politics today, when numer- ous articles and books are being published on the subject. Contemporary political theorists obviously find it relevant to rheir concerns. But why study what the Pol- itics has to say about aristocracy? 1s this not a mode of government that has long been superseded? The subject does not even seem to play a very prominent role in the Polztics. Different reasons could be given for studying Aristotle's teaching on aristocracy. But I am going to justi- its study here by showing that it solves one of the most perplexing interpretative questions concerning the Polztics-the question of the relationship between Xristotle's concern for the best regime, virtue. and practical political mat ters. The best regirne is the subject of book Wi?I and VI11 of the Politics. It aims at the cuitivation of virtue. But Aristotlek discussion of it seerns unconnected to his discussion of practical political mat ters, which is most evidently the subject of books IV to VI of the Polztics. This is in fact the prevailing nineteenth and early twentieth centun; interpretation of the relationshipthat the concern for the best regime and virtue in the Polztics is separate from the concern for practical poiitical rnatters.' According to one commentator. "The tradition of Aristotelian scholarship has always distinguished in the Politics two different. independent. and even discordant theo- retical concerns-a theory of the ideal. or best state. and a theo- of actual states" (Bluhm 1962, 743). This. hoivever. is not 'rfachiavelli's and Hobbes's view. For according to them. Iristotle's concem for the best regime and virtue makes his poiitical thought useless.' What appear to be down to earth political issues in the Politics are in fact hopelessly impractical because they are set within a larger contevt that takes its bearings from what is high in men instead of how they really behave. For hlachiavelli and Hobbes. then, the concern for the best regime, virtue: and practical political rnatters in the Politics are all connected, but detrimentally so. (The follonring investigation will point to a very different conclusion.) What makes the issue even more curious is that at one point in the Politics Aristo- discuss this perspective in chapter 6. "ee chapter 15 of Machiavelli's Prince and chapters 31 and 46 of Hobbes's Leviathan (Hobbes 1968, 401-8, 687, 697). tle himself suggests that the concern for the best regime is separate from the concern for practical political matters. At the beginning of book IV he criticizes his prede- cessors. who have previously spoken about regimes. for being so concerned with the best regime and other ideal regirnes that they have had nothing to say about practical politics (lB8b3j-89al) .3 .lristotle's criticism is reminiscent of Machiavellik criticism of the ancient and medieval political thinkers who preceded him. in chapter 15 of the Prince. 1s Aristotle. t hen. actually akin to the moderns (contrary to 4IachiavelIi's
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