Politics

Although Aristotle views aristocracy as the best form of government, he promotes the idea that different cities require different forms of government based upon their population and culture. Democracies can take many shapes, each determined by the character and desired outcomes of a particular city. Democracies are centered upon a foundation of freedom, or liberty, equally dividing power among the majority class and within offices. Freedom can also be defined as the ability to do what one wants and to share power. Aristotle defines the majority as those who hold the most property and who have the highest population. Pure democracies present an “election of officers by all, and from all; the system of all ruling over each, and each, in his turn, over all” (232), meaning that the power is centralized to the many rather than the few.

Pure democracies are rare; it is more likely for a constitution to combine elements of multiple government types. A common method for dividing ruling bodies within a democracy is electing the deliberative body within an oligarchical framework and the judicial within an aristocratic framework. However, many combinations and arrangements can be applied with a democracy.