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Compare and contrast different forms of government by Plato and Aristotle
Plato's view of the government
Plato's government theory
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In the past thousands of years, many people, ideas, and cultures have help mold the Constitution into what it is today. Ideas have been taken from the ancient times, from the Romans and the Greek, and up to early American history with the Magna Carta and the House of Burgesses. In making the Constitution, the framers looked at ancient literature, and ideas from Plato and Aristotle, to more modern ideas and literature such as the works of John Locke and Baron de Montesquieu. Influences on the Constitution mark back to ancient times. James Madison and other framers studied the works of Aristotle and Plato intently. Both Aristotle and Plato were Greek philosophers who theorized about how to make government better, called political philosophers. …show more content…
The framers looked at documents from the English government, such as the Magna Carta and the English Bill of Rights, to sculpt their government. The Magna Carta limited the king’s power and stated that citizens had certain rights. This meant that the king had to recognise the citizen’s rights, and couldn’t imprisoned or arrest citizens unless convicted of a crime, and they had legal rights, and could have a trial by jury. The Magna Carta is significant because it was one of the most important democratic documents in history. It was important because it said that everybody was subject to the law, unlike a dictatorship, oligarchy, or monarchy. It set up a parliamentary democracy in England, and strongly influenced the American Bill of Rights. Likewise, the English Bill of Rights further restricted the powers of the king. The English Bill of Rights gave everybody certain rights; of these where were the right to trial by jury, no unusual, cruel, or unjust punishments, the right to own a gun, and citizens had to be charged with a crime before they could be sent to prison. The English Bill of Rights was influential to the American Constitution, because in the Constitution, the framers included a Bill of Rights outlining the rights of all citizens. The American Bill of Rights was heavily influenced by the English Bill of Rights. Of these were the right to bear arms, the right to a fair trial, and citizens couldn’t be put in jail without being charged with a
In these documents there are elements that are the same and as well there are some parts that will be complete opposites of one another. For that purpose it should be pointed out why and what makes these aspects of the said documents which will help us understand the times they were written in. The first of the documents to go over will be the Athenian constitution as it has numerous references to who holds office and why, for an example in part five section 43 it states how someone can hold office and who can at that, along with how and who votes them into office; “All the magistrates that are concerned with the ordinary routine of administration are elected by lot, except the Military Treasurer, the Commissioners of the Theoric fund, and the Superintendent of
To conclude, The United States Constitution was greatly influenced by Ancient Rome, the Enlightenment, and Colonial Grievances. Due to the Constitutional Convention, the Delegates that arose from five states proposed an idea for a stronger federal government which occurred in the creation of the United States Constitution. This idea would impact the United States
In the Constitution, the second try be the founding fathers to create a government in the United States. The ideas that are in the Constitution are used today to deal with certain issues that arise in the country today. Some people believe that some wars do reflect the ideas that the founding fathers had written out, while other wars are not even close to the principles of the Constitution.
It was established for the United States to have a document based foundation for the country to be run on. These Enlightenment thinkers got our founding fathers John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and George Washington all questioning God, Nature and Society. John Locke inspired our founding fathers to state in the document that all power should lie within out people. John Locke believed all people should have right to choose their leader. Montesquieu’s idea was also used in the United States Constitution. Montesquieu believed in the power of checks and balances, which means that not one branch of government gets too much power. Rousseau’s ideas were also presented in the United States Constitution. Rousseau’s idea was that all people get to vote for the president and congressmen. Other Enlightenment thinkers also have an influence on the United Sates Constitution. Voltaire’s ideas were also used he believed in religious freedom. The final thinker that is present in the structured law today is Cesare Beccaria. Beccaria believed that the accused have rights and that torture is unjust
The Magna Carta was the first document in which English subjects to force English king into power; granting and protecting the subjects’ rights. This was important since the king at the time could do anything that he so desired. However, in practice, this English legal charter did not limit the king’s power. The Magna Carta is the beginnings of American freedom. It is also the foundation of the American Constitution, reflecting English freedom and the power of the English government.
He frequently quoted notable historical figures, including the Founders, Roman philosopher Cicero, Alexis de Tocqueville, and several others. Skousen wrote in the introductory essay, “[Our] Founding Fathers believed that the Constitution was destined to bless all mankind - and that it was ‘incumbent on their successors’ to preserve and defend our national charter of liberty (i).” It was apparent that the Founders firmly believed in the power of the Constitution’s principles to mold American society, and this idea formed the basis of the book. John Adams insisted, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government by any other (56).” This assisted in describing the necessity of virtue and morality within a society of free people. Additionally, the Founders undertook great measures to ensure a system of checks and balances was implemented by the American government. James Madison explained, “The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands, whether of one, a few, or many, and whether hereditary, self-appointed, or elective, may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny
The constitution is the bedrock in which our country is based off of today. When it comes to learning and understanding the origins of our country the constitution is a highly important piece. This book goes into great depth explaining how the constitution was forged which makes its relevance to the course very significant.
Constitution of United States was written in 1787 at Philadelphia convention. It is stated in article VII that the constitution needs to be accepted formally by nine out of thirteen states before it could be legally used. A big debate started whether the constitution should be ratified or not, dividing people into two groups federalists (supported ratification) and anti-Federalists (did not support ratification). Both groups had their own claims and arguments, federalists wanted a large heterogenous republic whereas anti-Federalists fought for homogeneous one. Federalists consisted of mostly rich, powerful gentry in favor of strong centralized government. Well educated influential leaders like George Washington and Benjamin Franklin were in
Aristotle’s theory of mixed constitutions played a big role in influencing the new American mixed constitution and the concept of separation of powers. In this theory, Aristotle asserted that all types of government could work effectively if the leaders of these types of government pursue justice and public good over their self-interest. With this idea, the Founders established a brand new system of government by combining three types of government: the monarchy (the President), the aristocracy (the Supreme Court), and the democracy (Congress) into one. The concept of separation of powers was also born with this idea. This system consisted of three branches: the legislative branch (makes law), the executive branch (enforces law), and the judicial
The beginning of the Constitution provides a basis for one to question the righteousness of the Framers intentions. The Constitution starts by saying, “ We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by the Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” This was not a true statement. That phrase excluded black people, women, and men who lacked wealth. Government under the British did the same thing; all the power was made accessible to only the rich. The American Revolution was aimed at acquiring equal and fair representation in government for everyone. Next, the Constitution established a Supreme Court. The Supreme Court was a group of selected people who would make major legal decisions for the country. These people were not elected or chosen by the people, they were chosen by the government. This placed a form of power over the people of the United States that had been held by King George. The Supreme Court had the power to ma...
The structure of the American Constitution and our tripartite system is identical to Aristotle's politics when it talks about laws, customs, rights, and powers. Aristotle says that a constitution is “the way of life of a citizen-body." This means that a constitution should be what the people want in order to make it more productive in the future. A constitution should make the citizens feel like they are apart of the decision making of how our country is to be governed. Aristotle left an impact on the writers of the American Constitution and because of this, James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine, and John Adams, and George Washington (the writers of the constitution) all agreed that the Constitution should have some reference to Aristotle’s
Plato vs. Aristotle How do we explain the world around us? How can we get to the truth? Plato and Aristotle began the quest to find the answers thousands of years ago. Amazingly, all of philosophy since that time can be described as only a rehashing of the original argument between Plato and Aristotle. Plato and Aristotle's doctrines contrast in the concepts of reality, knowledge at birth, and the mechanism to find the truth.
Plato and Aristotle both established important ideas about politics and their government. The general idea these two men wrote about were tyranny and the rule of law. What the rule of law is stating is that no one is immune from the law, even the people who are in a position of power. The rule of law served as a safeguard against tyranny because laws just ensure that rulers don’t become more corrupt. These two philosophers explored political philosophy and even though they didn’t agree on much they’re impacts are still around the world today.
Mimesis, the ‘imitative representation of the real world in art and literature’ , is a form that was particularly evident within the governance of art in Ancient Greece. Although its exact interpretation does vary, it is most commonly used to describe artistic creation as a whole. The value and need for mimesis has been argued by a number of scholars including Sigmund Freud, Philip Sydney and Adam Smith, but this essay will focus on the arguments outlined by Plato in The Republic and Aristotle in Poetics, attempting to demonstrate the different features of imitation (mimesis) and what it involves for them both. In Plato’s The Republic, he discusses what imitation (mimesis) signifies to him and why he believed it was not worthy of the credit or appreciation it was so often given. In Aristotle’s Poetics on the other hand, he highlights the importance of imitation not just in art, but also in everyday life and why imitation within tragedy is necessary for human development.
Greek philosophers Aristotle and Plato were two of the most influential and knowledgeable ancients in our history. Their contributions and dedication to science, language and politics are immensely valued centuries later. But while the two are highly praised for their works, they viewed several subjects entirely differently, particularly education practices, and human ethics and virtue.