Should the wealthy few rule, or the poor majority? Should politics belong to those with leisure, or can every citizen truly take part? In these chapters, Aristotle digs into the messy reality behind democracy, oligarchy, polity, and tyranny.
He shows that oligarchies, like democracies, come in degrees. He insists that politics always returns to one fact: those with leisure have the time to rule, while those busy with survival often step aside. Out of this tension, the mixed constitution of polity emerges, balancing rich and poor, freedom and wealth.
This episode explores how Aristotle moves past theory to confront the lived struggles between the few, the many, and the one.
Aristotle’s Politics, Book IV, Chapters 5–10.
Chapters:
(00:00) The Few, the Many, or the One?
(02:23) Four Faces of Oligarchy
(03:33) When Regimes Wear Masks
(06:31) Politics Requires Leisure
(11:30) Soft, Strong and Extreme Oligarchies
(14:48) Aristocracy vs Polity: Virtue or Balance?
(19:08) Defining Polity
(24:43) The Emergence of Polity
(28:57) Aristotle's Political Realism
