Decisions Decisions

We've left our buddy Aristotle behind for too long so let's review where we were at: In the Politics, the second book, we find him examining the governments of different countries in his day. It is uncanny how similar things were then to the way it is now. After a quick review of the principles, we are going to move on the third book. The second and third book seem to be out of order since in the third he starts at basics and moves into more complex things. It is interesting nonetheless.

Having a single person in charge is the most efficient form of government but problems arise when the ego of that person gets in the way of the common good. A people pleaser can be just another variety of tyranny. What we are looking for is a person who is respectful to the laws the people have set up and considers himself a servant. He will fulfill his duties without thinking he is a messiah. The downside, of course, is the common tendency of people to let their egos get in the way. When a single person governs unchecked and goes bad, it is to the demise of the entire country. So we want to take advantage of single-mindedness in areas where it can be applied safely without descending into tyranny towards everyone.

Sometimes it is better to have a group in charge. We form committees to get an expert opinion on a matter. We still will utilize a single person as the head of the committee. Where this goes wrong is when the experts consider themselves elite and exclude the opinion of others. In governing they may even work things to give their group the upper hand in a society above all others. This is what is meant by an aristocracy. Ideally they should meet to give their opinions yet consider themselves common like everyone else. They should be humble and let other experts take the reigns when they have completed their job or tenure. When they form their own fiefdoms or non-experts get in due to association, the country suffers.

It is ideal that everyone is friendly to each other and make their decisions according to these friendships rather than according to laws. It always seems that the majority ends up bullying the minority though. Normal people have varying interests and hold jobs so they get representation to take care of those interests in their stead. This goes bad when their own interest is forced on everyone by forming factions. The more sway a government holds over everyday life, the decisions made by these people become more critical. We have seen the bad decisions people make when in a mob. So while this form of decision making best represents the people, it is still prone to making poor decisions through hysteria and inexperience.

This is the gist of the reviews of governments that Aristotle made. In book three we look at what constitutes a state. At its basic form, we have to start at what makes a person a citizen. Some make the qualification becoming a landowner, but that is too exclusive since some people move around and rent. A citizen would be someone who has the ability to participate in some way with governing. So in order to participate there still needs to be qualifications. We can head that direction next time....