From The Republic by Plato and Politics by Aristotle, come two very different perspectives of what a state should look like. This includes different structures of power, different favored types of government, and different types of classes. Where Plato bases his ideas off of a faux society, Aristotle uses examples of past civilizations to discuss several different theories and explanations. Though Aristotle was a student of Plato, he had a very different approach to the ideal state than his teacher.
According to Plato in his piece of work, The Republic, everything decays. Government is not exempt from this, which is the basis of where his ideas come from. Plato states that as time goes on, even the greatest forms of government will deteriorate into lesser and lesser forms. In The Republic, Plato uses four explicitly stated types of government to demonstrate his point, however, he technically uses five; aristocracy, timocracy, oligarchy, democracy, and tyranny (Citation). In his eyes, the most optimal type of government is an …show more content…
These people are the producers and citizens with specialized skills. Farmers, doctors, merchants, and actors are all examples of the huge variety of citizens that fall into the blanket category of the craftsmen. They have no share in ruling and are focused exclusively on producing whatever it may be that they are best suited to produce (citation).
In Plato’s ideal society, men and women have no reason to not perform the same duties. If a woman is born to be a philosopher-king, then why should she be anything else? Within the household, however, women are still seen as weaker being between the husband and the wife (citation). Aristotle on the other hand believes that women are paired with a man for the sake of reproduction. Outside of the household she has no power and doesn’t really participate in the state (citation pg
According to Plato in his piece of work, The Republic, everything decays. Government is not exempt from this, which is the basis of where his ideas come from. Plato states that as time goes on, even the greatest forms of government will deteriorate into lesser and lesser forms. In The Republic, Plato uses four explicitly stated types of government to demonstrate his point, however, he technically uses five; aristocracy, timocracy, oligarchy, democracy, and tyranny (Citation). In his eyes, the most optimal type of government is an …show more content…
These people are the producers and citizens with specialized skills. Farmers, doctors, merchants, and actors are all examples of the huge variety of citizens that fall into the blanket category of the craftsmen. They have no share in ruling and are focused exclusively on producing whatever it may be that they are best suited to produce (citation).
In Plato’s ideal society, men and women have no reason to not perform the same duties. If a woman is born to be a philosopher-king, then why should she be anything else? Within the household, however, women are still seen as weaker being between the husband and the wife (citation). Aristotle on the other hand believes that women are paired with a man for the sake of reproduction. Outside of the household she has no power and doesn’t really participate in the state (citation pg