REFLECTION PAPER: ARISTOTLE

A contemporary discipline connected to social science is political science. Today,

political science is independently developed as a branch of social sciences, and political
structures, nations, and governments are the key subjects of the discipline. Thus, political science
is based, like every other science, on definite hypotheses and measurements, evidence-based
facts, and empirical data. The first political scientist in history is Aristotle. It is essential to
reflect on the similarities and differences in approaches to addressing political science today and
during the early periods in which politics was studied in a sense in philosophy to assess the
significance of this argument.

Aristotle is often referred to as the successor to Plato's ideas on the principles of politics
set out in Plato's work Republic and Laws, but it is important to note that Aristotle argued the
critical points of view of Plato. The influence of Plato on Aristotle's theory of political problems
can be measured by reference to the development of Aristotle's independent approach to
analyzing the situation. Also, being the tutor of Alexander the Great, Aristotle thought a lot about
the role of political structures and governments in public life. Aristotle was the first political
thinker to begin the debate on polis and its position for the people, define all the specifics of the
problem and refer to the established typology of governments and political systems. The key
theme of Aristotle's investigation was to select a political structure that could be debated as the
most suitable and advantageous for people to achieve happiness and peace.

Government, says Aristotle, must be in the hands of one, of a few, or many; and
governments may govern for the common good or the good of the rulers. The government of a
single person for the general interest is called "monarchy;" for the private benefit, "tyranny." A
minority government is an "aristocracy" if it aims at the best interest of the state and "oligarchy"
if it benefits only the ruling minority. Popular government in the common interest Aristotle calls
"policy;" he reserves the word "democracy" for anarchic mob rule.

Kingship, the aristocracy, and the republic were discussed as regimes with relatively
positive effects on the polis' development. Tyranny, oligarchy, and democracy were presented as
regimes where rulers paid more attention to their interests than to the interests of the public
living in the polis. Thus, the regimes are mainly discussed concerning the moral notions set out
in Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics. That is why the most appropriate regimes or political systems
are kingship, aristocracy, and republic, where the effective kingship is based on the theory of
justice developed in Nicomachean Ethics, and a republic can be discussed as the most successful
variant for the public. Furthermore, the positive effects of following the principles of a republic
can be realized in practice. Aristotle's findings depend on his observations of the status and status
of low population categories in cities with different regimes. Examining the attitudes of the
rulers towards the public, the philosopher emphasizes the particular characteristics of the
republic with a significant constitutional government.

Aristotle also saw the centrality and importance of human politics. He even blurred the
famous line that man is a political animal by his nature. Rationality was a crucial aspect of
humanity, and it had to be central to Aristotle's successful policy. He saw the city as a critical
place where people could live and prosper; in fact, the city was more prominent than the
individual, as the greater good was seen above the individual. The city was also a place where
beauty was to be found, and, according to his belief, art was to be made to flourish in those areas.

The views of Aristotle, however, should be seen in the context of the historical period of
his life. As we know, Aristotle was the thinker of the era of slavery. His concept of justice is
tailored to slave-holding society. From his point of view, it is in the very essence of things that
some people are born to obey and others to govern. Social justice is in the middle between
governors and slaves. The ideal political system is the one in which the central element
represents the majority. If too many people in society are poor and deprived of political rights,
the state will face increased hostilities and frequent rebellions. Social justice should be equally
distributed so that no citizen can improve his or her political power over the appropriate measure.

It can be said that Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics depicts the elaborate system of views
of the philosopher of the ancient slave society. There is no doubt that the established concept of
ethical virtues was the pinnacle of ancient philosophy. Aristotle was the first to define moral and
social justice, which led to a more excellent perception of man as a "social animal." Although the
Aristotelian ethical system was designed for a slave society, its fundamentals were further
applied to the development of modern democracy.

In science today, relatively few of Aristotle's ideas are still used; however, his crucial
understanding of logic used to create a scientific theory, mainly through induction and deduction,
has had the most significant impact on science. His emphasis on empiric research was also new
and he has become another key tenant of modern science.

Few thinkers who are known directly to us have influenced the modern world as much as
Aristotle. Although he was a flawed character in many ways who held views that we might
consider racist or ethnocentric, he established the foundations of what would eventually become
modern philosophy and science. In his lifetime, Aristotle was a famous figure who taught not
only Alexander but also Ptolemy and prominent figures in Greek culture, which continued to
influence the world in various ways. Although modern sciences do not retain some of his views,
such as the notion of four main elements of the universe, his belief that perception and
observation are crucial to understanding our world has become the cornerstone of modern
scientific thinking and understanding.