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  • Essay / Early political ideas and the concept of subordination

    In “Politics,” Aristotle set out an explicit justification for subordination. He suggested that some human beings may possess an innate aptitude for either slavery or domination, and that those who are enslaved deserve to be enslaved entirely because they have been dominated by a stronger power. Aristotle's justification rests in part on the example of the perceived property of the dominion of the inanimate soul over the body and the dominion of the mind over the appetite. Since these are beneficial ordinations, he argued, it follows that parallel ordinations, such as that of a statesman ruling a population and a slave obeying a master, are equally beneficial. Moreover, different classes of society, especially rulers and manual workers, are expected to possess different skill sets – one for governance, another for work. Good leaders (i.e., leaders who possess the appropriate skills and qualities for leadership, such as prudence and experience) should be obeyed because they are best placed in society to give orders . Since Aristotle believed that such civic arrangements had as their goal common happiness (reaping the benefits of community and the good life) and security, it follows that monarchs and masters must be obeyed to achieve this goal; in other words, if it is indeed an ideal system and a true conception of the nature of man, as Aristotle held, then obedience to this system promotes stability. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Similarly, St. Augustine conceived of peace as a fundamental end, albeit in an early Christian context. Saint Augustine considered the world to be composed of two cities, one secular and caused by self-love, the other celestial and provoked by the love of God. The first is best represented by the Roman Empire, the second by the Christian Church. Both cities are concerned with politics as a means of peace, described by St. Augustine as contentment, security and joy. However, for the earthly city, "peace" does not imply the end of war, but rather a sort of balance of powers, an ideal state of relations between the individual and his neighbors, desired "to enjoy the goods terrestrial”. For the heavenly city, peace and joy are desirable, but the ultimate goal is to reach paradise in the afterlife through love of God and avoidance of sin. Both cities involve similar governance structures with rulers and subjects, but in the earthly city, princes and nations "are governed by the love of ruling", and in the heavenly city, obedient princes and subjects “serve one another with love.” By worshiping God, the heavenly city is able to live in peace. The members of the worldly city, for their part, achieve peace through wars and conquests with the aim of attaining a comfortable state of property allowing them to enjoy material goods, an end similar to that advocated by Aristotle. Inevitably, godly people are dominated by ungodly leaders. St. Augustine explicitly stated that “the dominion of wicked men harms themselves” by committing immoral and unfaithful acts, while those who are subjugated by wicked men “are only harmed by their own iniquities.” For this reason, the good slave can be considered free while the bad master can be considered a slave to his vices; one will inherit Heaven, the other Hell. Saint Augustine's arguments lead to.