ideal state
INTRODUCTION The city-state, Athens gave birth to many great philosophers, but when most people think of philosophers in general, commonly the three names that come to mind are Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. ... I will only compare and contrast Plato and Aristotle’s views of democracy and the ideal state, then I will reflect on each points of views. Even though Plato and Aristotle couldn’t agree on what the true purpose of the state was, both shared the same negative view of democracy, for they saw it as mob rule. Plato and Socrates answer to the question of what is the purpose of the state were completely the opposite, just as their view of an ideal state. ... PLATO According to Plato the state was like the human soul or an organism whose well being is preferred for its own sake; that like the human soul the state also consisted of three different elements, raw appetites, drives, and the third consisting of thought or intellect. ... An ideal state to Plato was known as a class-structured aristocracy ruled by philosopher-kings. ... If the ideal state were to be achieved it would in time degenerate into a lower parallel state. ... ” ARISTOTLE Aristotle also saw the state as an organism but he believed that the purpose of the organism is to improve the life of its inhabitants. Aristotle believed a state is good only to the degree to which it enables its citizens themselves to achieve the good life, whereas Plato a state is good to the extent that it is well ordered, meaning that the people should work for the state not the state for the people . ... Even though Plato set forth a recipe for an ideal state, Aristotle did not. To Aristotle, a state can be properly ruled by one person or it can also be ruled by few people or by many. When a state is properly ruled by one person he called it a monarchy, improper rule by one is a tyranny. ... PEOPLE The true purpose of the state is to enhance human performance to its fullest potential, through continua’s political improvement that best pleases the masses. ... ) If these factions do not exist in a state in big significant numbers, then that is an indicator that the majority has consented to the political structure that the state has chosen to be under.