From Aristotle To Machiavelli

Those of you who have been attending class regularly know that we have covered the aspects of Aristotle's political philosophy that are germane to our introductory class.

I have mentioned that this material will most likely form part of your final exam. You are expected to read Aristotle's Politics I and II.

Pay careful attention to the differences in emphasis between Aristotle, Plato, and Socrates.

Remember that Aristotle studied at Plato's university, the Academy, for 20 years and left only after Plato died.

Aristotle is thought to be more grounded than Plato in his many academic works. He was less concerned with recruiting philosophers than Plato. Instead he was concerned with comparing the life of citizens. Toward this aim he collected 158 constitutions.

In this sense, he may even be thought of as one of the first comparative political scientists.

It is most important that you understand Aristotle's assertion that "man is a political animal." Also, connect this assertion to what he defined as the "Zoo Politikon".

Finally, pay special attention to the terms LOGOS and TELOS.

The image that appears above is a "marble bust of Aristotle. Roman copy after a Greek bronze original by Lysippus c. 330 BC." (Image Credit)

We are now moving onto Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli (3 May 1469 – 21 June 1527).

Machiavelli, born in Florence (Italy), is often said to be a founder of modern political science. The image here is a head-crop "1500 portrait of Niccolò Machiavelli by Santi di Tito" (Image Credit).

You are expected to read Machiavelli's The Prince which was published in 1532.

See syllabus for all relevant links and study hard!