Join us Oct.15 for a discussion of Aristotle's Politics

Reading: Aristotle, Politics
Book VI, Chapters 1-5

In September we discussed Book V, Chapter 12 at great length. Why does Aristotle bring up Plato's 'cycle of regimes,' what are all the ways Aristotle's treatment of regime change differs from Plato's, what is Aristotle's deeper meaning of 'faction' and what does that say about his overall perspective on political life, and how does that relate to his discussion in the beginning of Book I?

Now we turn to Book VI, where Aristotle applies what he has developed to the life of real regimes, which practically always turn out to be hybrids or mixtures. His last sentence in Book V is, "And despite the fact that there is more than one kind of oligarchy and democracy, Socrates discusses their changes as though they were each one single thing." Now he remedies Plato's defect.

RSVPS will will receive a message the week of the event with directions to our meeting place in Rice Village. Hope you can join us!

Here are three translations:
Cairnes Lord -- most commonly used translation in universities today:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ANLZ3rQyO4a4kQ5sc-RL2U5IRmHpinX0/view?usp=sharing
Cairnes Lord, the Kindle version:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Z1jCLFbE02XOLU1qKljshb9T8kBGnbEk/view?usp=sharing
Ernest Barker -- the gold standard when I was in school:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1AL8sjX-DsQO6fM1Ht-IQuKDw9HyBvfm/view?usp=sharing
Joe Sachs -- a recent translation that sticks closely to the Greek and is very helpful with Greek terminology:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1A3Px3tYlFaXXJwNbwmS9jG9oZsXZnvi/view?usp=sharing