Households

When the natural order is followed concerning authority, it makes a beneficial environment for all the parties involved. A CEO with good character will run a company justly by making the company grow, increasing stock value and taking care of the workers. Some people are great at hands-on things and others do well as supervisors to set priorities. When laws or other entitlements disrupt the natural order between workers and supervisors, both sides suffer. Of course there are varying degrees of talents and abilities so this isn't an exact science.

When we look at a household, it is more of a monarchy where regardless of the skills involved, there is usually one or two people that have the final say in all decisions. Talent isn't really an issue but the authority is important. We don't consider keeping a household difficult but there are habits that can be taught to make it easier on everyone. No one goes to college to be an expert housekeeper. Yet it is the place that holds the things we love. It is curious that so much study is put into everything else while managing a household is an afterthought.

When we talk about the the pursuit of happiness, wealth is a big part of it. But at the same time we despise those who are out to get wealth. In order to look at wealth in its proper context, separations have to be made. At what point does earnings made for taking care of one's own household turn into wealth? The purpose of accumulation would be a factor. Some things are tools and then others are materials. Both are used to make something else. First priority would be our household. But it isn't that simple.

Animals have simple needs and we see them gather food and build homes in order to perpetuate their species. But humans are different. They do things according to taste and have different levels of satisfaction. We all have particular talents and interests that we try to use to make a living. The amount of property and raw materials needed to make a living varies with what a person does. To Aristotle, everything exists for a purpose; soil for the nourishment of plants; plants for the nourishment of animals. The entire world exists for man to use due to his versatility and intellect. We call it the top of the food chain. In the political sense, he believed that we are doing our duty to civilize barbaric people so they too can enjoy the benefits that come through being governed properly and cooperating with outsiders.

As we acquire things, how much is enough to consider oneself rich? There is only so much a person can experience and enjoy and so it would have to be limited. In the same way a civil government should be limited to providing opportunity for its citizens to make a good living. When we get into wealth, it is another matter and it has to be addressed separately.

Out in the Wild

It is hard for us to comprehend a slave culture and it was equally perplexing to Aristotle. He, in his usual manner, organizes it into simple concepts. These concepts have applications today. Slavery comes in different forms and this examination may surprise you.

The principle of slave and master is found naturally in everything. We see laws exist in the universe and even on a molecular level there is a semblance of obedience. When we confine ourselves to the earth and consider natural laws, we also find an order at work. Looking at animals, we find that they are slaves to their appetites. They roam, dig in, and obey instincts. The more advanced or free an animal is, the less this is a consideration. With pets, they are pampered almost as a child but it would be a different story out in the wild. When they are confined, with a good master, they have it better than if they were in the wild.

With men, we see that some need the guidance of another. We range from diligent, self-controlled to destructive and lazy individuals. At times those who are in charge are incompetent while the servants are intelligent. There is a natural order that is at odds with human made associations at times. We see things work better when this natural order is followed. A person who lacks leadership qualities is by no means less valuable but it is better to have the right people in the right positions.

There is a class entitlement that societies give in defiance to natural order. A caste system makes the claim that due to genetics, some should be masters and others slaves. This is perplexing and full of conflicts for those who see the obvious natural order. Ancient writings lament about this. The Bible has a theme of contrasts where bad leadership is replaced by normal people who were elevated out of good character. Native born entitlement has been in place for all of history and we enjoy stories when paupers becoming royalty. We like it when the natural laws usurp class systems.

Another form of slavery comes through laws. When a nation conquered another it was customary to make the citizens of the defeated country slaves. Those who receive majority political advantage feel those who don't agree or don't belong should serve them. But even when this is in operation, we all suffer when due to politics, incompetent people are put in charge. When the natural laws of competence and good character are violated, it doesn't matter what the political persuasion, everyone suffers.

Within ourselves Aristotle saw a natural order too. Our appetites want to lead us into areas that are bad for us. When the rational part of our soul is in charge, we do what is best. Most of the damaging things we to to ourselves are done when appetites overrun rational thought. There is a part of us that looks out for our best and wants lasting happiness in our lives. When things are out of order, the body is in charge and we call it vice. But making it obey helps us achieve virtue. Generally Greeks believed that the natural world, since it is temporal, is where corruption was based. Purity is found in the spiritual or contemplative part of our being. All of Mankind has a connection to it and the principles it holds. As we take time to contemplate, truth can be found that leads us to the mastery of life. Those who choose to live by appetites alone, miss out on this connection and are no better than animals. We have the saying," Think about what you are doing".  Of course we all enjoy letting go occasionally. There is a certain pleasure in getting out from under the master's rule. But no one wants to be stuck out in the wild either.

Master and Servant

In order to get anything done cooperatively, it is required there be a certain amount of servitude. We have to submit ourselves to others in some ways and take charge in others. There's nothing bad either way, serving or leading, as long as it is done with good character. What good character brings to the transaction is justice. Lets look at cooperation and justice; how they work together.

Justice as a concept means that a person is rewarded for what he puts into action. Action requires time and effort. It has a negative context where wickedness deserves punishment and a positive where goodness deserves reward. We have an innate drive that wants to see things balance out. It isn't as easy as it looks since we don't often know particulars or motives. But we all agree that the standards should be the same for everyone. That is what is meant by "all men are created equal". Sometimes we wish for injustices to be overlooked because we care for a person. This is the application of grace. As a general rule, people want more grace for themselves than for others. But the purpose of government is to bring justice to the transactions between people.

Someone has to lead in order for a goal to be reached. A strong leader will use justice as a guiding principle for all he does and won't demand more than he deserves for his part in the transaction. He will reward those who do well and try to raise up those who don't. Sometimes it takes encouragement and sometimes it requires punishment; this depends on the particulars and motives. In every transaction, there are also boundaries. A boss has no authority over a person's private life. Tyranny is nothing more that the assumption of authority beyond the scope of a relationship.  As servants head in the right direction, less authority has to be asserted.

We all serve each other in different areas. A good servant will  be just and won't take more than what he deserves for his efforts. He will have no problem doing what he is told when it is within his scope of work. A good servant will go above and beyond. An injustice occurs when he expects reward with little effort.

A master is oriented toward the big picture or the whole. You can say he has full opportunity and potential of action. A servant is only has a part in it. The servant assists the master in accomplishing his goals and his scope is narrow. There is a just exchange that they work out between themselves.

When we form the social structure of a civil government, we first want to define and limit the scope. It should operate to bring justice to every transaction. We must determine who will be the masters. When the people are the masters, the politicians will be servants with a limited scope of actions. They are assigned to assist individuals in accomplishing their goals. Individuals will be the ones with unlimited potential. When politicians are masters, they are interested in greatness according to their world view while the people become servants with limited actions.

Absolute Freedom

Everywhere we go there is a hierarchy of some kind. In a family setting there is sibling rivalry and parents who carry authority. It is the same on the job and with a community. The Bob Dylan song says "You are going to have to serve somebody." We don't want to be enslaved to anyone or anything however, and freedom is an attraction to all. Aristotle spends quite a bit of time explaining the proper treatment of slaves and their purpose in politics. With the Industrial Age, slavery became a thing of the past and we use machines to do what human power once did. We use carbon driven equipment to build our buildings and to heat our homes. The age we live in has given mankind a freedom in this way that has never been experienced in past history.

But what is ownership? There are things we own that have a productive purpose, we could call business oriented. Also things we own that are for pleasure. Most government differentiate between the two and tax us heavily on things for pleasure since they aren't necessities. But in the activity of living, the things we work for are on the pleasure side. We want a nice house to entertain rather than a simple hut to stay warm. Everyone agrees that necessities are important but the conflict of greed and jealousy mostly occurs over the pleasurable things.

Is there such a thing as absolute freedom? Animals are slaves to their appetites and live by the law of the jungle. It is romanticized by our society but the wild is a dangerous and violent place to be. When working with other humans, there is a hierarchy too. The more a person has virtue, the better he does in whatever position he has. From slave to free, president to laborer; things work best when we treat each other well and advancement that comes from diligence is the best kind. A tyrant will limit the choices of those under him. We are all servants but a slave is someone who has limits forced on his associations. Servants do what they agree to do and then go about their free time to pursue their own interests where a slave is always under the master's authority. A poor servant won't perform his duty for the wages agreed upon.

It is interesting that the more authority one gets, the more people you have to serve and show diligence toward. It isn't as glamorous as some people make it. A business owner might be able to set his own hours but they are really dictated by their customers needs and the availability of their workers. The struggle between necessity and pleasure is more evident when one owns a business. But for those who work under someone, there is merely a duty to perform the tasks assigned. Home and free time is mainly for enjoyment. Necessity is always trying to impose itself on our free time. It is easier for some to relax than others. Some, on the other hand, become slaves to pleasure and never accomplish much. So keeping things in perspective is something every individual has to do.