How Globalization is Changing World Governments Compared to Plato and Aristotle's Government

The way the government structure is organized has been changing ever since humans began to live in a polis. The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle believed that humans were political animals, thus the reason for organizing ourselves into a political state. However the way governments are organized, and which political system works best has been the centrepiece for many violent conflicts in the past, and will continue to challenge the world into the future. Yet a new form of organization is taking place in the 21st century and has been given the term “globalization.” With the onset of globalization many of those in government have had to change their governing style in order to keep up with the pace of a shifting world that is becoming more integrated. However the foundations of the modern western societies can be traced back to ancient Greece, arguably the first democratic society. Since the western world prides itself as being a democracy, would it not still value the teachings of great philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle? The answer is ambiguous, and modern society may be able to relate better with Aristotle than with Plato. This is because both philosophers differed in many areas when they described their ideas of an efficient state. Aristotle’s writings in his work Politics give more freedom to the polis and the structure of government is not as ridged as what Plato believed. Furthermore Aristotle was a firm believer in the laws of nature since everything in nature has a purpose. In contrast, Plato believed in a ridged class structure to form the organization of the state, among other things. Differences in opinion of the two philosophers include the family household, organization of the state, who is a citizen, and how ...

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...because they know their rights are protects by a system of laws.

All in all, modern western democracies would most identify with Aristotle’s concept of government. This is because of his ideals for family, how he organizes the state, and his terms for justice. As stated numerous times, modern western democracies pride themselves for upholding the values of freedom. Aristotle’s writings in Politics allow for more freedom for individuals than Plato’s class based system of government. It seems as though the world has already progressed though Plato’s principles for his ideal state when Europe was divided into a system of aristocracies, with the few ruling the many. Society and governments have progressed in such a way that they represent the majority, yet most people are still able to live a full and meaningful life, to develop themselves to their highest standards.