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Aristotle's Political Theory > Presuppositions of Aristotle's Politics (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy) plato.stanford.edu
The principle of community Aristotle maintains that the
city-state is the most complete community, because it attains the limit
of self-sufficiency, so that it can exist for the sake of the good life
(Pol. I.2.1252b27-30). Individuals outside of the city-state
are not self-sufficient, because they depend on the community not only
for material necessities but also for education and moral habituation.
"Just as, when perfected, a human is the best of animals, so also when
separated from law and justice, he is the worst of all" (1253a31-3). On
Aristotle's view, then, human beings must be subject to the authority
of the city-state in order to attain the good life. The following
principle concerns how authority should be exercised within a
community.
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