The State

The more tribal or primitive a society is, the less everyone is able to live the good life. We see that the woman, in order to nurture, has to work as a slave and do her part while the men go out to defend and hunt. Neither male or female can enjoy the good life or a life of leisure since providing necessities takes up all their time and defines their role in life. But when families get together and help one another, the burden becomes lighter for everyone. This becomes a village. The first rule that comes out of a village is the monarchy, with a chief or a king, since the father and eldest in families naturally end up making the decisions in a similar way they would in a family.

When the society has a king, they will assume their gods rule in the same way. It is natural to look to a higher power as similar to themselves and cultures, as a rule, will match the authority of their gods with their present view of hierarchy. If a society remains primitive, it will remain primitive. If it becomes a just society, the view of god will change to where he is just too.

As villages join in confederations, the unit becomes a state. Forming a state is the natural course for humans. Animals don't contemplate, organize and negotiate with language on the level that humans do. So we can say with certainty that forming a state is what comes natural to humans. It is a part of the inherent nature of man. When reasoning ability is at its peak performance, men will form states that make each other's lives easier. Aristotle claims that man is a Political Animal. In the same way that good character depends on virtue, there is also virtue in politics, the good of a society.

Men who avoid politics and go out on their own usually do so out of bitterness, anger or wanting to avoid responsibility. But it is obvious by nature that humans perform at their best when there is cooperation. People who live in the wild with no human association will become vicious since their only concern is survival. Without others, there can be no virtue practiced and without virtue, there is a poor concept of justice. Man by nature needs social interaction and the ultimate interaction is a state. It is where justice is practiced and the details are negotiated among men. Justice is the bond of men in a state.

Presently as our population has grown, some ascribe to the theory that this principle continues on to the entire population and we should work toward a one world government. Others observe that the further the governing authority is from the individual, the less it serves their needs and the more corruption affects everyone. The founders of the United States sought a compromise where the states determined justice for themselves while a federal government would keep them all in unity. The debate goes on today as to how much authority should be given to a distant government and how it affects the well-being of the citizens in a state. It is a debate that has gone on in various forms throughout the centuries after this was written.

We will continue and look at how we form units of authority and their purpose in book three. 

Hierarchy

Politics and religion are two of the most contentious subjects to approach with others. There is so much dogma involved it becomes tiresome reasoning with people. Having dogma toward religion doesn't make much sense since most of it is speculative anyways. So arguing speculations is best confined to those who share the same beliefs. But politics can be different. Everyone observes behaviors and hierarchies from the time they deal with siblings all the way to national politics. Some behaviors are detrimental and others are advantageous. This study can actually be fun absent the dogma. What I mean by dogma is hard headed opinions that lack objectivity. So let's toss a few opinions of this Greek philosopher around!

One thing to keep in mind is the cultural differences. Slavery was an acceptable practice to the Greeks. Although some in our culture feel guilty about the industrial age, we have given our menial labor to electrons and motors. This has caused a great advance in civilization. One of the purposes of being civilized is to make everyone's lives easier. A Greek woman was considered to be in charge of the household and its slaves. We have appliances today. I think you will be surprised at how struggles and attitudes haven't changed much over the millennium.

We start out observing that hierarchies exist that vary with how many people a person has authority over. Siblings protect each other; a boss is important career-wise; and a statesmen looks after the good of an entire state. A king or dictator rules with his own interest while a statesman represents the people. But this structure is too simplistic to apply to every particular situation and so we should break each area down and look at their components to know what we have to work with.

The furthest we can break down dependencies is that between a man and a woman. In order to continue with our species, we like anything else have to reproduce. With humans, one has to provide shelter and protect while the other puts their bodies to use in nurturing.  This creates a hierarchy with the man making decisions due to his part and a woman submitting so she can do hers. Whatever name we use, be it master and slave or other terms, they both have the same interest of raising a family. This follows the basic hierarchy we have within ourselves. Our minds rule over our bodies. But a woman shouldn't be treated like a tool and a slave, so the more a society is civilized, they can pursue their own interests. In barbaric or tribal societies, women become more like slaves since everything they do is out of necessity.

Politics

This is where Aristotle leaves off in the study of Ethics. It has been an interesting study. The subject of Ethics has to do with getting along with ourselves and with others. He took time to describe the struggles we have inside and out and pointed out the best route to take. That route is called virtue. A person who pays attention to this is said to have good character. Instruction without condemnation is refreshing. He uses a method of studying out behaviors objectively and pointing to ideal behaviors. At the same time we aren't told what to do. We get to figure it out for ourselves since we all have unique personalities and passions.

For those who have read the history of Alexander the Great, it is important to to note that Aristotle was his mentor. Alexander's father hired him since he was one of the best teachers at that time. After Alexander the Great died, Aristotle had to go in hiding because the leadership void left him vulnerable. He died shortly afterward.

There is more to study and I would like to continue on to Aristotles' Politics. In Politics, he says that under a tribal system, women have a status that is close to a slave. Everything is about survival. When a civilized society wars against a barbaric society, they are doing them a favor. The women for example, are given more of a managerial role in the household. Of course we have appliances now, so there is no need for slaves. We have grocery stores that help in that area too. I find these tidbits about Greek society interesting and hope that you do too.

The Pursuit

We have arrived at the point in ethics where we look at legislation. Things that pertain to primary happiness, such as discussing and practicing philosophical matters, creativity and pursuing dreams, are areas that laws shouldn't touch. This is what is meant by protecting "rights". But in practical matters, those that have to do with character, such as honesty and having just transactions, we need laws.

In a perfect society, everyone would be just and kind to themselves and to their neighbors. Unfortunately, there are always people who have less than perfect character. The reasons are numerous as we have discussed in past blogs but the fact remains that some only obey through penalties. It is best that we learn through instruction rather than hard knocks and pain but at least some of us learn that way. For those who refuse to exhibit good character regardless of the method, we need laws. The worse a society is character-wise, the more strain is on the legal system. So we should encourage those who teach good character and should make it a part of our public curriculum.  

In a prison, inmates enjoy necessities and are constantly forced to treat each other properly. They lose their rights, the ability to pursue dreams, as a penalty for violating laws that protect themselves and others. We don't want a society that is set up like a prison and need to preserve rights while at the same time maintaining order. By focusing on having just transactions between people in a society, the pursuit of happiness can also be preserved. We see this in our family interactions also. As long as people act according to virtue, they should be free to pursue their passions.

Utopian philosophies although primary to happiness have little use in the practical sense. The secondary part of happiness that has to do with satisfaction and character will always need laws based in character. These laws must also protect the primary pursuits for each individual. The simplified term used years ago was separation of church and state. But today we have a myriad of utopian ideas based in personalities, probabilities and forces. No system is practical without its individuals possessing good character. Its people must be ruled by laws based in virtue. This is what we are after when we study Ethics.

I've Been Thinking

Since contemplation is given so much importance, we should spend time examining just what it is. It is a unique kind of reasoning. Some try to say that all reasoning is contemplation, but Aristotle makes it clear that the reasoning attached to morality and life’s activities are of a different kind. He likens philosophical contemplation to what a god would think about and gives it a divine air. It is something animals don’t seem to have. Philosophers have gone in different directions to describe exactly what  contemplation is.  They all agree that it is our way to reach something higher than what sensory knowledge is capable to comprehend. The speculative part of our thinking; the what-ifs and the whys. You could almost say it is the “for no reason” part of our reasoning since it doesn’t have a practical basis. The Things we do under obligation can be good but things we dwell on for no reason and have no basis give us the most pleasure. We could call it pure leisure. The Odd thing is that it can turn out to have a practical benefit. Einstein’s mind exercises are an example of this. Religions have different takes on what contemplation means. Eastern thought would lean toward clearing one’s mind in a form of meditation. Christians use memorization of scriptures and prayer. Some lean toward memorized prayers and others  engage in normal conversation with God in their leisure time. But they all have in common that the mind needs focused on things that are higher than necessities. The more a person keeps his life simple and sacrifices his life, the more he has the ability to contemplate to enjoy life. It is as if practical reasoning is more of a distraction to them.  Aristotle makes the point however that success in practical things does contribute to happiness in a secondary sense. To be settled in one’s philosophy is primary and having freedom to do so is important. That is why freedom of religion is important. It is hard to categorize thought specifically since so much is interconnected; our morality is connected to our world view and our ability to reason properly in practical things can also be linked in the same way. Freedom is practiced when a person has the ability to question conventional thinking. No one wants to be trapped in their thinking to certain  dogmas. But dogmas do give a sense of security. Even in thought there can be adventure and risk taking.  Adventure, when connected to the arts, enables creativity. A Person needs to know art basics to be good, but those who abandon convention are refreshing to all. It is the same way in music. When commercial value is a consideration, it tends to dilute the meaning. There is nothing like just playing or singing for no reason. And to use one’s creativity without worrying about other people’s opinions also has a certain freedom to it. Giving gifts to others for no reason but you felt like it also has special meaning. Giving due to needs or a special occasion is good but not the same. It seems the best things in life are free because they always exist inside of us. If the thoughts give us practical benefits, all the better.  Sent from Yahoo! Mail for Windows 8