A talk with Aristotle

While reading an article on modern progressive values , one fancy line drew my special focus . It read 'Aristotle justified slavery as ' greatest utility for the slave himself ' . I wondered how someone can justify slavery as utility for someone . Like imagine Brahmins saying untouchability as the greatest virtue a low caste hindu can get from this not so oppressive Brahmanical order . This line however in all capacity was successful in erupting within me a craving to read classical realist political thought . Probably this also shows the diversity of ideas , the discourses these political theorists create . 

To talk to Aristotle can be intresting for many reasons . To ask him, how he overpowered the influence of his tutor Plato and his idealism - denouncing women rights , attacking Plato's idea of power of general knowledge , of ruler being worldly wise rather than wise , all of which would require me to go through serious dialectical movement propounded by Plato which just cannot be questioned by Aristotle in any capacity . 

If Plato is termed as the first feminist , Aristotle can be termed as the first Villain of Feminists. Feminist scholars should use Aristotle as negative characters in their novels the way Shakespeare uses Macheveilli . The idea of feminist rights that were accepted by Plato, if would have been continued by Aristotle as well , atleast the discourses over concepts like sex and gender , patriarchy etc would have erupted way earlier. 

What Aristotle did by disapproving Plato's feminist ideas , his modern day disciplines like Bolsonaro , Trump , Pen are doing the same . If Aristotle confined women to the four walls , Bolsonaro on similar grounds rejects the idea of LGBTQI+ rights . If Aristotle gave citizenship rights only to propertied men , Trump and Pen similarly disapprove of recognising immigrant rights . 

Therefore , Aristotle can be termed as a Kautilya and the neo right world leaders as Chandragupta Maurya for some reasons. The world over, with the coming of people like Modi , Bolsonaro , Trump , Pen , Netanyahu or even Shinzo Abe , values of conversative ethos are on a rise . 

Aristotle was also a big conservative philosopher who always believed in the idea of unconditionally supporting state , of it being a source of virtue . What Aristotle forget or because the society he was a child of was not very divided in clases , religions etc , his view of state is not just or in his words itself not the best practicable idea . Both Plato and Aristotle were collectivists , believed in  priority of state over individuals but the collectivism with which Aristotle moves show possible fear of authoritarianism even more than Plato. For Aristotle , ideal state was ' Rule of law ' however his defination of what constitutes law is highly catastrophic if we follow that in the contemporary times .  No matter how much Aristotle might have critiqued Plato of his Idealism , the way Plato puts the idea of state does not look like a disaster the way Aristotle's idea look . Plato said we should obey state  without which our soul cannot be at peace or that State is individual writ large. The way Plato uses ideas of Philosophy to explain political phenomenons, Aristotle severely lacks on this front and thereby loses the contemporary relevance of his ideas. It is devoid of the Anarchistic belief of humans themselves being rational and therefore knowing what is in the interest of himself .

Aristotle makes a decisive statement regarding the idea of equality .  He said , treat equals equally and unequals unequally.   .Knowing the fan following of this beared Macedonian scholar within big names , I will surely write some great contributions of Aristotle and not only criticize him . What Marx said in the 17th century , Aristotle was dialectic enough to sense that way back by stating 'Inequality gives rise to revolution  . Although he himself disapproved of Revolution' , he can be credited for explaining the reasons why the popular idea of revolt erupts in the mind of a  revolter. 

The worst form of inequality for Aristotle is to try to make unequal things equal and to treat equals unequally . When we draw a portrait , every colour has its own relevance in making the art look a masterpiece. You just cannot paint colours in equal proportions , you need to give some colours a weightage over others .  Uniformity looks great as a concept but uniformity of action, thought process is not desirable as it kills individual initiative. Therefore Aristotle talks about proportionate equality .

 Aristotle therefore says that you cannot treat a master and a slave equally , they differ in reason and therefore it would be greatest inequality if state takes measures to bridge the gap between them . However what Aristotle missed was to ascertain the very reason of this logical difference between the master and the slave . If this result is a product of equality of outcome , I would go with the Macedonian . If this is a product of natural structure , then unequal treatment should be meted out so as to keep the essence of the ideas of equality alive . In other words , the only modification his ideas needs is to uncertain whether that fruit of merit was a fruit fallen from heaven or a fruit earned by putting in sweat . Well , historically it was only slave who had to put in sweat . However Aristotle terms this sweat of a slave as an essential exercise in order to gain virtue . 

The latter part of the statement , of treating unequals unequally is where I would go with the royal philosopher . If we take Indian politics for example , Lalu yadav formed a party for Yadav and other OBC Caste's and Nitish Babu made one for those castes like kurmi's etc which in his views became unequal after Lalu's rule . Aristotle here teaches the politician class a big message . He says , treat all those who are deprived with the same medicine , don't look for classes , religions in it . Doing so would mean the death of equality . 

In short Aristotle emerges as a philosopher of Meritocratic Justice in his former statement and absolute Justice in his latter part of the statement .

One of the major reason of Aristotle being termed as father of Political Science is his contribution in starting a new discipline of Comparitive Studies within Political Science . However , Political Science itself was studied under religion but it's claim as a separate discipline would have been substantiated by what Aristotle did by comparing 156 Constitutions of the world . His comparison holds even more importance when he brings in the idea of Golden mean - within two extremes lie a middle path . He described how power given to a single person in the form of a Monarch or a Philosopher King will turn into tyranny because of over centralisation of power . He explains the power of few gives rise to Aristocracy which soon becomes Oligarchy . He termes democracy as the worst form as rule of many will result into fight among many thereby again making corrupt politicians . In his golden mean between Democracy and Oligarchy lies the best practicable idea ' Polity - the rule of middle class ' . He termes Polity as the best form because for a person like him , stability is a virtue of governance. The popular stability which he finds through his golden mean . He says middle class are men of property but not extreme property , therefore they have reason to make good laws like the middle class Solon made some . He says the rich out of derogance and the poor out of ignorance fail to make just laws , the middle class person out of the combined failed experience of both shall be able to devise a way suitable enough. 

Therefore , the relevance of a Philosopher who taught Alexander the art of politics and made him 'Alexander The Great ' holds firm even today to some extent and seriously falls on some metrics . The revival of conservative principles in the contemporary times with the rise of Neo right leaders go back to the times of Macedonia . From stating Slavery as Natural and it being a source of utility for the slave because he is rewarded by virtue's while working for the Master , Aristotle further consolidates his image as a Conservative Philosopher.