Question

Aristotle's view of citizenship​

Answer 1

Answer:

Aristotle strongly believed that the middle class have a powerful role to play in the state. According to Maxey, one of the greatest values of Aristotle’s theory of citizenship was the salvation of political society lies in the enthronement of rulers of that salutary middle class, which represents the happy mean between wealth and poverty.

Aristotle was a conservative or a traditional philosopher, who never felt the need to change the existing system. He, however, attempted to rationalize and channelize the existing conditions. He believed in maintaining status quo. As regards the issue of citizenship, in ancient Greece, especially in Athens, citizenship was given to only the privileged class or, in other words, it was their monopoly of the upper class. This monopoly was hereditary in nature, and according to Aristotle, the monopoly entitles a person to be a part of political, judicial and deliberative matters. Aristotle denied citizenship to foreigners, slaves and women and other manual and menial workers. This is because he opined that the above-mentioned sections of the people do not have moral and intellectual excellence to be able to serve as a member of popular assembly.

He further opined that nature did not favor them for enjoying the political wisdom of politics. Moreover, these classes could not afford leisure and sufficient economic or mental development, which were considered the prerequisites of citizenship.

To acquire citizenship, Aristotle prescribed certain qualities like residence, right of suing and being sued and descent from a citizen. Apart from the above qualities, a person should be competent enough to participate in judicial and deliberative functions and also the capacity to rule and be ruled. One who lacked these qualities could not be a complete and good citizen.