Aristotle's Polis
Faculty Sponsor
Christopher Kirby, Eastern Washington University
Research Project Abstract
As the world becomes increasingly globalized and focus is given to national or international political activity, it is difficult to concentrate on the basic unit at which Aristotle’s political ideals were intended to operate under; namely, the Polis. It would appear that the political playing field of the American presidency, dealing with a population of approximately 3.2 million people, has vastly outgrown the governing body of 3rd century BCE Athens that included a comparatively scant 40,000 eligible voters. Looking closer at how the Polis is referred to in Aristotle’s Politics, it appears that the Polis Aristotle had in mind was less a geographical distinction of a particular city or a numerical representation of particular demographics, but a sense of identity made up of people that shared in a common community and actively participated in that community through political involvement. To strengthen national political activity, perhaps it is necessary to re-think our ideas of the Polis by strengthening our sense of community identity and engage more people to participate at a local level by making political activity personal rather than a mere matter of statistics.
Session Number
SS8A
Location
Weyerhaeuser 304
Abstract Number
SS8A-d
Aristotle's Polis
Weyerhaeuser 304
As the world becomes increasingly globalized and focus is given to national or international political activity, it is difficult to concentrate on the basic unit at which Aristotle’s political ideals were intended to operate under; namely, the Polis. It would appear that the political playing field of the American presidency, dealing with a population of approximately 3.2 million people, has vastly outgrown the governing body of 3rd century BCE Athens that included a comparatively scant 40,000 eligible voters. Looking closer at how the Polis is referred to in Aristotle’s Politics, it appears that the Polis Aristotle had in mind was less a geographical distinction of a particular city or a numerical representation of particular demographics, but a sense of identity made up of people that shared in a common community and actively participated in that community through political involvement. To strengthen national political activity, perhaps it is necessary to re-think our ideas of the Polis by strengthening our sense of community identity and engage more people to participate at a local level by making political activity personal rather than a mere matter of statistics.
