An Analysis of Aristotle's PoliticsIn "Politics", Aristotle would have us believe that man is by nature a political animal. In other words, Aristotle seems to think that the most natural thing men can do is to come together in some form of political association. He then argues that this political association is essential to the pursuit of a good life. Finally, he attempts to distinguish which forms of political association are most suited to the pursuit of this good life. In formulating a critique of “The Politics,” we will first examine its claims about what is natural to man and whether the criterion of the natural is sufficient to demonstrate virtue. We will then examine what in political association is essential to the pursuit of a good life. In conclusion, we will see if the mixture of oligarchy and democracy recommended by Aristotle is really adapted to the practice of the good life. It seems to me that there is indeed something more natural to man than politics. While it is true that wherever you find men you tend to find political associations, it is also true that not all human associations are political. Aristotle rightly points out that the family is a fundamental form of association that is essentially apolitical. Religion brings people together, as does the economic desire to trade and pursue economic activity. None of these spheres of human activity requires politics. However, these spheres of human action are apparently found wherever human beings are found; they are therefore more natural in the sense that they arise automatically. Aristotle's account of state formation is a pure historical rationalization. He says that the State is natural because it arises more...... middle of paper ......r to preserve virtue in the face of rampant vice than in an age when individual virtue abounds in order to to maintain stability and justice. The nature of politics is power over material things, not virtue. Justice and virtue may be the stated functions and goals of politics, but this does not define what politics actually is. A perplexing question, however, is how the ideal constitution will be realized when the virtuous have no interest in realizing it, precisely because virtue is defined by selflessness. Works Cited Barnes, Jonathan, ed. The Complete Works of Aristotle. 2 vol. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1984 Lord, Carnes. Aristotle: Politics. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1984Nehamas, Alexander. Virtues of authenticity: essays on Plato and Aristotle. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999