Aristotle’s Politics
Living Well and Living Together
- Contents
- Review Quotes

Abbreviations of Aristotle’s Works
Introduction: Aristotle’s Politics: Living Well and Living Together
I. Six Chapters to Living Well and Living Together
II. Politics IV.1–2: The Four Kinds of Best and Aristotle’s Four Causes
III. Ethics and Politics
IV. What Can the Politics Tell Us About Politics?
1. Book I: Slavery and the Will to Power
I. Slavery: Incomplete Actions and Incomplete Souls
II. Slavery and Slavishness
III. Despotism
IV. Slavery, Despotism, and Human Nature
V. Natural Rulers, Political and Despotic
VI. Thumos: Domination and Friendship
VII. Aristotle’s Slavery and Contemporary Problems
2. Book II: Aristotle’s State as a Work of Art
I. The Ideal State and Its Problems
II. Property and a Unified Polis
III. Private Property, Ancient and Modern
IV. Property versus Education as a Unifying Force
V. The Modesty and Ambition of the Politics
VI. Politics as Practical, not Productive
VII. From the Preface to Politics to Politics Itself
3. The Justice of Book III and the Incompleteness of the Normative
I. Aristotle versus Liberalism: The Right and the Good
II. The Meaning of “Form” in Politics III
III. The Definition of “Citizen”: Politics III.1–3
IV. The Good Man and the Good Citizen: Politics III.4–5
V. The Kinds of Constitutions: Politics III.6–8
VI. Justice as Proportional to Merit: Politics III.9–13
VII. The Rule of the Best versus the Rule of Law: Politics III.14–18
VIII. Conclusion
4. Practical Knowledge and the Four Orientations to the Best
I: The Kinds of Constitutions: IV.3–10
II: Polity and the Best in General
III. The Best in Particular Circumstances: Chapters 12–13
IV. Formal Possibilities and the Best in Particular
Circumstances: Chapters 14–16
V. Conclusion
5. Factions and the Paradox of Aristotelian Practical Science
I. Asymmetries, Epistemological and Ethical
II. Faction and Constitutional Change
III. Book V.1–4: Faction in General
IV. Book V.4: A Fifth Cause?
V. Book V.5–7: Faction and Particular Constitutions
VI. Book V.8–9: Preservation (and Improvement?)
VII. Preserving the Constitution and the Arts of Appearance
VIII. Stopping Factions versus Preserving the Constitution
IX. The Revolt of the Just
X. Political Philosophy: Inside or Outside the Polis?
XI: Philosophy and Phronesis: Logos and E¯thos
6. The Best Life and the Common Life
I. Book VII.1
II. Nature Versus Justice
III. Book VII.2
IV. Book VII.3
V. Book VII.4–7
VI. Book VII.8
VII. Book VII.13
VIII. Book VIII: Virtue and Music
IX. The Ideal and the Practical
Conclusion: People as Political Animals
Notes
Works Cited
Index
“Eugene Garver has written an excellent book. He reads the Politics as a unified whole, and tries to think it through from beginning to middle to end. And he consistently does so with intelligence and sensitivity to detail.”
“Garver’s interpretation of the Politics makes for dense reading, but his study captures the complexity of the relations among political philosophy, practical wisdom, and political action in Aristotle’s own thought. The book concludes with an epilogue that focuses on what is central to this thought: the claim that human beings are political animals. In drawing out five different senses inwhich we can understand this claim, and especially by showing how the Politics itself informs enduring political questions, Garver thinks through the ways in which philosophy can be practical without being subsumed by practical ends. Garver’s fine study is clearly the fruit of deep reflection on this very problem.”
“Garver is a skillful interpreter, and it is a privilege to take note as he ruminates on questions most commentators never think to ask. . . . Highly recommended.”
Philosophy: History and Classic Works
Political Science: Classic Political Thought
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