Aristotle's politics Essay. Social Sciences Assignment.

Aristotle's Politics
Student Name
Institutional Affiliation
Aristotle's Politics
Partnerships among human beings come about because of a fundamental need. Partnerships exist because of the inability of individuals to exist without one another. No single individual has all that it takes to survive on the planet. This necessitates the need for individuals to come together and engage in a mutually beneficial relationship. While many types of partnerships exist, one of the most important in society is that of a slave and a master. This kind of partnership is in Aristotle’s Politics is known as slavery where the master is in charge of the slave. The master-slave relationship is critical because it is beneficial, not only to the two parties but also to the polis.
Aristotle defends slavery with the idea that justice must reflect what is natural. Social norms must work towards upholding what society considers to be natural. Accordingly, slavery can be practiced as long as there are individuals suited to be slaves. According to Aristotle (2013), slavery remains a natural phenomenon. Some individuals are superior to others. The superior ones would rule over the inferior. Aristotle compared the relationship between the superior and inferior as that of the soul and the body, where the former rules over the latter. In other words, individuals possessing superior reasoning powers would rule over those with inferior reasoning capabilities. Masters, in this case, are physically and mentally stronger than the slaves (Aristotle, 2013). Since this is a natural phenomenon, the master is justified to rule over the slave. The master adheres to nature by dominating over slaves, who are also comfortable with the arrangement since it is naturally determined.
In the polis, Aristotle asserts that human beings by nature are political animals. Individuals who cannot enter into partnership have no part in the polis. Such persons would either be lower animals or gods. Further, Aristotle considers the intrinsic political nature of humans. Individuals, unlike other animals, are capable of employing speech. Through speech, human beings can perceive and communicate what they consider to be good or bad. Such qualities make an effective household (Aristotle, 2013). Due to such political capabilities of human nature, it is critical to habituate people through participation in society. The slave-master relationship is critical for the functioning of society. The household needs to be well-ordered and the master needs the slave to do so. In the household, slaves are “tools” the master uses in running the household. The slaves execute the commands of the master. Allowing the master to have leisure through “the pursuit of higher life.” A household with a master and slaves is well ordered since each one has their place. Aristotle demonstrates that a household can only be differentiated from the rest of the associations when it has attained the condition of a master-slave relationship.
The master-slave relationship in the household is the demonstration of how polis should operate. The role-dividing developments within the household not only create order within the household but also the state as well. When the household heads are...