Politics

By: Aristotle

Narrated by: Matthew Josdal

Aristotle's Politics is a work of political philosophy. The end of Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics declared that the inquiry into ethics necessarily follows into politics, and the two works are frequently considered to be parts of a larger treatise, or perhaps connected lectures, dealing with the philosophy of human affairs.

Aristotle is generally regarded as one of the most influential ancient thinkers in a number of philosophical fields, including political theory.

Public Domain (P)2010 Alpha DVD LLC

politics is violence

so long story short, all forms of state are evil because they are require evil to be enforced. anarchy it is then...

Timeless

All philosophers and prophets are the children of Aristotle. Only an Aristotle could write such a book.
Do read / listen to it. every possible way of conducting a political system is explained here with all of it's advantages and flaws.

Timeless wisdom

Aristotle is a genius. He approaches questions that still face us today with careful deliberation and without pretention.

Whether you're looking to improve household management or refine political ideology, this book is a mandatory read.

Required college reading

Required reading in many colleges. A very profound text.

But, some parts are antiquated. For instance Book VII, Chapter XVI, "the proper time for a woman to marry is eighteen, for a man thirty-seven." Paternalistic? Yes!

Other parts are very insightful and hold true to this day. For instance Book VII, Chapter XI, "the demagogue in the democracy, for he is the proper flatterer of the people; among tyrants, he who will servilely adapt himself to their humours; for this is the business of flatterers. And for this reason tyrants always love the worst of wretches, for they rejoice in being flattered, which no man of a liberal spirit will submit to; for they love the virtuous, but flatter none. Bad men too are fit for bad purposes; "like to like," as the proverb says. A tyrant also should show no favour to a man of worth or a freeman; for he should think, that no one deserved to be thought these but himself; for he who supports his dignity, and is a friend to freedom, encroaches upon the superiority and the despotism of the tyrant: such men, therefore, they naturally hate, as destructive to their government. A tyrant also should rather admit strangers to his table and familiarity than citizens, as these are his enemies, but the others have no design against him."

All this coming from a book written in the 400's AD. Fully sixteen hundred years ago. Some things never change.

Aristotle has another hit on his hands.

Timeless and very timely especially the section on autocracy and autocrats. Important to see how easily democracy canbe lost.