The Problem of Fairness in Aristotle's Politics

In the United States, Aristotle's Politics is a text we look to in order to understand the foundation of our own democracy. It is unsettling, then, how Aristotle's argument for the best practicable city sounds unfair to our modern ears. Though the city "exists for the sake of the good life" (10), many individuals of his city do not have the right to be citizens or pursue this good life. Happiness is the goal only for a select group. At first glance, it may look like Aristotle is merely encouraging the favor of his own class; those at the top are allowed the free time to be involved in politics and engage in abstract reasoning, which the less worthy do all the labor which allows citizens this luxury. Though denying an element of elitism in Aristotle's view is difficult, it is important to not let cynicism and an individualistic point of view limit our understanding. To Aristotle, the well-being of the city as a whole was much more important than any individual's wishes. Ideas of the government infringing on the rights of its people are somewhat foreign to his frame of reference. The system that makes the good life possible, and sets the conditions of how and for whom, is one that puts the city first.