In the second book of Aristotle's Politics, Aristotle defines his ideal state by criticizing the values proposed in Plato's Republic. In doing so, Aristotle censures Plato's idea of state unification through sharing as much as possible, including wives, children, and property. Aristotle counters that Plato's concept is harmful to the unity of the state because it prevents the individual citizen from achieving his maximum role in society and being as happy as possible. In criticizing Plato's constitution, Aristotle provides solutions that promote diversity of functions within the state and allow each citizen to achieve his or her maximum role in society. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay In the second book of Politics, Aristotle's discrepancies with Plato's ideal state revolve around the idea of communal sharing. Aristotle first attacks Plato's suggestion that men must share the women of the city and that their children be taken from their mothers at birth and raised in state nurseries. Aristotle argues that Plato's reasoning behind his claim (to unify the state) is illogical because, over time, all citizens will become equal, which is harmful. Aristotle argues instead that diversity in terms of experience and specialty is essential. He believes that when a state moves towards total unification, it loses its identity as a nation, creating the analogy of the unified state as a family rather than a nation. Secondly, Aristotle argues that the practicality of Plato's concept would inevitably lead to a weakening sense of attachment on the part of the citizen. This diluted sense of attachment would undoubtedly prevent the citizen from feeling responsible towards his fellow citizens or the state and would lead to harmful results. Aristotle is of the opinion that since man is naturally selfish, it would be unlikely that man would innately respect his fellow citizens, as it is not directly beneficial to him. Furthermore, Aristotle combats Plato's concept by stating the fact that the greater the number of owners, the lower the probability of respecting common property. This idea ties back to man's natural selfishness, as Aristotle says, "[people] care for common property only to the extent that it affects them personally." (p. 108)Finally, Aristotle refutes Plato's idea of common property, as he believes that this principle not only leads to a lack of responsibility towards property, but also abandons the virtues of generosity and mutual respect. Although Aristotle finds many flaws in the policies of Plato's Republic, he is able to propose logical solutions built around the principle of allowing everyone within the national population to achieve their highest function as a citizen. Aristotle first addresses the issue of overwhelming similarity among citizens, stating that a nation must be composed of different types of citizens to function and be unified. He validates this by stating that the different duties of citizens complement those of other citizens of the state. Saying: “It is mutual equivalence that keeps a State in existence,” Aristotle shows that for every citizen's duty there is an opposite and complementary duty. The next solution applied to the joint placement of wives and children, but does not offer a definitive solution. Aristotle argues instead that there should be a community of wives and children for the agricultural class rather than for the guardian class. This, according to him, would be extremely, 1981.
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