One of the definitive works of ancient political philosophy, Politics is Aristotle's attempts to classify and analyze the different types of government. Although missing fragments and editorial conjecture mark much of Politics, as is the case with most of Aristotle's works, his keen insights remain clear. Aristotle writes to explain how virtuous citizens and governments can make for a happy life.
Politics looks at the values and problems in several forms of government, including democracy, oligarchy, tyranny, and aristocracy. Operating on the assumption that "man is a political animal," the eight books in Politics break down the goals of the different forms, focusing on their ability to...
