![]() ![]() While Montesquieu was inspired by the English constitution, Aristotelian theory gave him the intellectual foundation for his political ideas.Īnglo-American political theorists saw similarities within Aristotle’s political ideas and the English constitution. The American constitutional system of checks and balances owes a great deal of influence to Aristotelian theory both directly and indirectly. ![]() Indeed, Aristotle favors mixed political systems which strike a balance between the excesses of democracy and the tyranny of oligarchy. Of course, there are different mixed systems which incorporate elements of both. ![]() His Politics breaks down governments into democracies and oligarchies. Aristotle’s political thought, on the other hand, has become incorporated within contemporary political theories.īalance is key to the Aristotelian worldview. It is not so much that Plato is irrelevant but that his philosophy is a hurdle to overcome. The political philosophy of Plato is a dreamy kind of idealism no longer relevant within modern democracies. Yet political modernization has gradually shifted Aristotle back into prominence. It is an irony of modernization that the transition into the Renaissance out of the Middle Ages diminished the influence of Aristotle in favor of Plato. Aristotle continues to reverberate through modern politics. ![]()
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