Aristotles Idea of Citizenship and State and the Government - Essay Example

? Aristotle Introduction Aristotle was the diligent of stalwart Plato. The school of Philosophy that Aristotle preached was known as the Lyceum. The works of Aristotle was diverse across various fields of study. Aristotle did not believe in the separation of the rich from the poor that existed in the Spartan civilization. He believed that the existing system of the allocation of land in Athens was not acceptable. The prevalent system of communal meals also drew a line between the rich and the poor. Aristotle’s Idea of Citizenship and State and the Government Aristotle based his theory of citizenship on the premise that the citizens were the units that composed a bigger entity known as the state. He posited that the citizenship of the people should not be classified on the basis of their possession of wealth but other features like their age. For example the older experienced lot would be the ones with mature thinking and the younger people would be those who are yet to pass through the stages of development. Thus according to Aristotle the older people who had more experience would be having a superior position as the citizen rather than the younger people. The older people would be wise enough to take the right decision in construction and execution of the government. He also mentioned that it was not possible to separate the outsiders of the state who took part in the affairs of the state from those who are actually originating from the state. He included in his theory the fact that the children who are born to the parents who are citizens would automatically become citizens of the state (Frede, 2005). Thus citizens have been perceived as those who are supposed to share the office of the government. Aristotle had conceived of a small state where the people would participate in the various kinds of political affairs and would comprise of the citizens. Small state was a feasible option according to Aristotle because the people would in such case be able to directly participate in the affairs. Every people living in a particular state would know about the other person and therefore the understanding of each others’ character would be easier. The identity of a particular state would be identified by the location and the residents of the state. The state ideally should be set up in such a way that the happiness of the citizens is fulfilled and they can develop a positive feeling for their fellow citizens. Therefore there should be a water body located nearby so that trade among people and across states can take place easily. There should be a constitution of the state that would lay down the rules and regulations and therefore it would contain the true essence of the state. However, he had classified this into two types. One is that which looks into the interest of the common man and therefore is favorable to everyone in the state. It is the just constitution. The unjust one is that which is only inclined in the retention of power and look into selfish interests. Thus monarchy that takes care of all the citizens is a fair form of government while tyranny that is detrimental to the other citizens is not acceptable. He also added that power should be distributes across the people and the person who carries out a particular work efficiently should be entrusted with that work. Aristotle claimed that there was a relationship of discomfort between the rich and the poor in the society. It was the middle class that acted as the balancing force in the society. The balance of power would be ensured if there is equitable distribution of power between the poor and the rich (Collin, 2006). Aristotle believed that education and knowledge was essential for the proper conservation of the constitution. It is also not justifiable to allow all the men to interfere into the affairs of the state. However, time to time scrutiny is required at the same time by the common man. Education would give rise to rational thought and policies by of the state can be formulated through the use of rational ideas. Aristotle also believed that different people should be involved in different kinds of trade depending on their age. For example the younger population should be engaged to fight for the state as the soldiers. The middle aged people should control the matters of governance and the old people should devote their time in religious activities. He was of opinion that education should be provided to the children in a public forum and they should be taught to reason from a very young age. Evaluation of the American Regime from the point of View of Aristotle The theory of State Citizenship and Government that Aristotle had stated so many years ago have an implication in the structure of the present day political system of the United States of America. It can be seen that the United States follows the same model of government formation as told by Aristotle more than two thousand years ago. Adults in the US have the right to elect the person as their representative and thereby form the government in every five years. Since the young people are considered not mature enough to be able to make the right decision regarding who would be their leader, only the adults are eligible for casting their vote. This idea that was conceived by Aristotle so many years ago has been applied to the present Democratic set up in the US. Citizenship is provided to the people on the basis of their age and not on the amount of wealth that they possess. However, there are several differences in the way in which Aristotle had perceived the citizens and modern status of citizenship. The style of representative government had not been acknowledged by Aristotle in his theory. The concept of majority in representation has not been clearly defined by the philosopher. The concept of small state put forward by Aristotle cannot be accepted because the present day America is a hugely populated country so the concept of direct participation and knowing of the fellow men of the state would not be feasible. The concept of Constitution which is a very acceptable concept and is used widely across the globe has been put forward by Aristotle a very long time ago in his teachings. A system of public education in US is followed even today. Most of the schools of the country are sponsored by the government. The children are sent to the public schools from a very young age. Conclusion Most of the ideas that were put forward by Aristotle between 335 and 323 BC were laid down in his work Politics. He has inexcusably criticized his teacher Plato in various works in the later phases of life. The ideas which he put forward in his writing form the base of the present day society. He was the pioneer who had coined the concept of the ideal state, the way the citizens of a state should be and the concept of constitution. The model that United States follows in the present day is based on the ideas that were put forward by him. However, there are several aspects like small state is not practicable in the present day because of he had not foreseen these aspects like the increase in the number of citizens. Nevertheless his contribution to politics, art philosophy and various other disciplines cannot be ignored. References Frede, D. (2005). Aristotle's Politics: Critical Essays. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield. Collins, D. (2006). Aristotle and the Rediscovery of Citizenship. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Read More