Aristotle's Politics

In Book IV, Politics, Aristotle classifies constitution into two main kinds: oligarchy and democracy for the reason that the same people who are both rich and poor are impossible, and the democracy is the constitution in which the free is in authority while oligarchy is the constitution in which the few is rich. In addition, there are deviations from these two main constitution; they are monarchy or tyranny, and aristocracy from oligarchy; and polity from democracy. He says:


It is also evident which of these deviation is worst and which second worst.
For the deviation from the first and most divine constitution must of necessity
be the worst. But kingship either must be in name only and on in fact or must
be based on the great superiority of the person ruling as king. Hence tyranny,
being the worst, if further removed from being a constitution; oligarchy is second
worst (since aristocracy is very far removed from this constitution); and democracy
the most moderate. (1289,40 - 1289b,45;103)


Since oligarchy is the second worst, "it is not right to speak of one kind of oligarchy as better than another, but as less bad" (1289b,10; 104) Thus, there is one kind of oligarchy that is less bad, aristocracy, for the following reason:


Nevertheless, there are some constitutions that differ both from constitutions
that are oligarchically governed and from so-called polity, are called aristocracies
For a constitution where officials are elected not only on the basis of wealth
but also on the basis of merit differs from both of these and is called aristocratic.
For even in those constitutions where virtue is not a concern of the community,
there are still some who are of good repute and held to be decent. Hence
whenever a constitution looks to wealth, virtue, and the people (as it does in
Carthage), it is aristocratic, as also are those, like the constitution of the Spartan,
which look to only two, virtue and the people, and where there is a mixture of
these two things, democracy and virtue. (1293b,5 - 15; 114)


So, we see that the reason why aristocracy is considered better than other kinds of oligarchy is because its constitution involves virtue. And the reason why virtue is important is as explained by Aristotle's following statements:


That is why is said in the Republic, though, sophisticated, is not adequate.
For Socrates says that a city-state is constituted out of four absolutely
necessary classes, and these, he says, are weavers, farmers, shoemakers,
and house builders.... as if every city-state were constituted for the sake
of providing the necessities, not for the sake of what is noble, and had
equal need of both shoemakers and farmers. Yet even in these communities
of four classes, there must be someone to assign and decide what is just.
So it indeed one should regard the soul as a more important part of an
animal than the body, then, in the case of city-states too, one should regard
things of the following sort to be parts, rather than those dealing with our
necessary needs... (1291a, 11 - 29; 108)


For non-aristocratic constitutions, Aristotle argues that some kinds of rule by the"multitude" are not bad forms of government because of the first reason that I already stated above that democracy is the most moderate between the two extremes: oligarchy and tyranny. Although decmocracy does not mean "multitude", it is the only kind of constitution in which the multitude are in authority. And there are many kinds of democracy or "multitude": [1] the first is the majority because both the poor and the rich can participate due to the fact that it is based on equality and freedom. [2] The second kind is based on property assessment, and it is for anyone who is rich. [3] The third kind is where all unconstested citizens and the law rules. [4] The fourth kind is the best citizens and the law rules. [5] The last kind is the multitude, not the law; in this kind, POPULAR LEADERS arise and people become a monarch. This is the worst kind of democracy or "the multitude". Wee see that all of these kinds of democracy concern only at property assessments and the equality between rich and poor as well as freedom, but they are not aiming at virtue; thus, Aristotle does not consider them as the best kinds. Instead, he chooses a mixture of oligarchy and democracy; Aristotle says that, "For aristocracy is regarded as a sort of oligarchy, on the grounds that it is a sort of rule by the few, whereas a so-called polity is regarded as a sort of democracy just as the west sind is regarded as northerly, and the east as southerly." (1290a, 15-19; 105). And for the reason that since virtue is important not property assessment, polity which pursues virtue is the best possible constitution in all kinds of democracy:


For polity, to put it simply, is a mixture of oligarchy and democracy. It is
Customary, however, to call those mixtures that lean toward democracy
polities, and those that lean more toward oligarchy aristocracies, because
education and good birth more commonly accompany who are richer.
(1293b, 33 - 1293b, 37; 115)


Thus, we see that Aristotle considers education and good birth are qualities that are more important than wealth and freedom since all other branches of democracy focus only on the distribution of wealth and freedom. And the reason why education is important is because Aristotle thinks that through education, one can learn to do the right actions, and that deliberation is a result of a thoughtful mind, and all of these elements belong to virtue which is called wisdom. For good birth, he believes it has something to do with virtue too because one who is born virtuous naturally has the same value as the one who gains virtue through learning and education:


But there are in fact there grounds for claiming equal participation in the
constitution: freedom, wealth and virtue. (The fourth, which they call good
birth, is a consequence of two of the others, since good birth is a combination
of old money and virtue.) Hence it is evident that the mixture of the two,
the rich and the poor, ought to be called polity, whereas a mixture of the three
most of all the others (except for the true and the first kind) deserves to be
called an aristocracy. (1294a, 14 -24; 116)





References


Aristotle. Politics. Trans. C.D.C. Reeve. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company, 1998.