Social Science 2 Midterm
Sir Mikael Perez | 2025
○ Born: (428-347 BC); Age of Pericles’
1 PLATO & THE REPUBLIC Athens; Peloponnesian War
○ Was critical of Athenian thought → not
everyone is skilled enough in the
ANCIENT GREECE AND THE ROLE OF exercise of political power since it
REASON requires dedication and long
apprenticeship
● True political philosophy began with the ○ Conceptualized the ideal city
Greeks (Kallipolis) and how best to manage it
○ Prior to rationalism, primary sources of in his work The Republic
belief were myths and gods
○ Now, rationalism and secularism were THE REPUBLIC
at the forefront of Greek thought
○ Emphasis on humanism and naturalism
→ you must understand nature before PLATO’S 2 CITIES
man
● Sophism Luxurious City City with a fever
○ Sophos → wise man
○ Sophia → wisdom, knowledge, and People have surrendered
skill that is necessary for the themselves to capital, access,
successful conduct of life and hedonism
○ Most famous Sophists: Gorgias,
Protgoras, Socrates Healthy City Ideal city
● Socrates
○ Socratic Method → Dialectical process Sustainable → limits the
of question and answer community’s resources to their
○ “Intellectual midwife” → facilitating actual needs
the birth of ideas already conceived in
the mind of a person
○ Accused of impiety and corruption of
PARTS OF THE SOUL
the youth in Athens
○ Mentored Plato for 40 years
● LOGOS → Reason
○ Location of thinking
PLATO: A BIOGRAPHY
○ loves the truth and seeks it
○ smallest but ruling part of the soul
● Led to the rise of classical Western political ● THYMOS → Spirit
thought ○ Location of anger
● EPITHYMIA → Appetite
NOTE: Western political thought doesn’t ○ Location of desire
necessarily need to come from the West; it’s more
the elements of Western thought that make it CLASSES
“Western” (Greek rationalism, Jewish monotheistic
conception of God, and Christian love) ● PHILOSOPHER-KINGS (guardians/gold) →
rulers who love wisdom & intelligence; willing
● Background to live a simple life
○ Simplicity is necessary for a good
leader and combat political corruption
, Social Science 2 Midterm
Sir Mikael Perez | 2025
○ Ideal leader ● Karl Popper criticizes Plato’s critique of
○ Sex shouldn’t be a factor in who democracy: “Better to have a bad tyrant and a
should rule but Plato was misogynistic bad democracy” and points out that Socrates
■ Should be raised by guardian was an authoritarian sympathizer
class to ensure good morals
are taught continuity of 2 ARISTOTLE & POLITICS
Philosopher-Kings
○ MILITARY (auxiliaries/silver) →
soldiers ARISTOTLE: A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
○ PRODUCERS (workers) → produce
goods and services in society ● Born: (384-322 BC); Stagira; physician dad
● Student of Plato in the Academy for 20 years
FORMS OF GOVERNMENT ● Established the Lyceum that encouraged
teaching & research in almost every area of
knowledge
● ARISTOCRACY → Plato’s ideal government
● Became Alexander the Great’s close tutor
because Philosopher-Kings rule it
● Went into exile after Athens rose against
● TIMOCRACY → guardians & auxiliaries rule
Macedonia (323 BC) and died a year later (322
● OLIGARCHY → only a few powerful people
BC)
have power; distinguishes poor & rich
● DEMOCRACY → rule of the poor
● TYRANNY → in the middle of chaos caused by ARISTOTLE VS PLATO
democracy, tyrant seizes control to maintain
order and becomes abusive. Attempts to
ARISTOTLE VS PLATO
remove him fail because he is the one in
control
ARISTOTLE PLATO
Think of the forms of government as each one Society is at its middle-class Philosopher-
being a degeneration of the previous one best when who Kings
rules?
BEST → WORST
aristocracy → timocracy → oligarchy → democracy Gov’t should be laws, not men
→ tyranny ruled based on:
Who Both rich and Only
CRITIQUE TOWARDS DEMOCRACY participates in poor educated/intelli
gov’t? gent
● Democracy may fall to the rule of the mob →
the mob is selfish, lacks care for others, and is Ideal form of Monarchy & Aristocracy
motivated by personal desires gov’t: aristocracy
● Democracy risks bringing dictators to powers
● Democracy brings leaders with no skills or
morals POLITICS
CRITICISMS TOWARDS PLATO CORRECT DEVIATION
● Aristotle argues that Plato’s Kallipolis is not One Ruler Monarchy Tyranny
possible or realistic
, Social Science 2 Midterm
Sir Mikael Perez | 2025
● DEFINITION: The citizen is the one who has
Few Rulers Aristocracy Oligarchy/Plutocr
the power to take part in the deliberative or
/Republic acy
judicial administration of the state
○ HOWEVER… not all citizens have
Many Rulers Direct Anarchy/rule of
access to enough experience,
democracy the mob
education, and leisure to devote to
active citizenship
THE STATE ○ The concept of representative
government is alien to the ancient
Greeks because democracy should be
● “Highest of all communities”
directly participated by all citizens
● NATURAL COMMUNITY → organism with
○ Justified slavery due to universal order
qualities of humans
of superiority → men vs women,
○ The state is natural in that it is
reason vs passion, master vs slave
inevitably created after families and
towns
■ Family: self-sufficiency/daily IN DEFENSE OF PRIVATE PROPERTY
needs
■ Village: supplying more than
NOTE: The idea of private property wasn’t popular
the family can satisfy
in Ancient Greece but Aristotle was trying to
■ City-state: exists for the sake
defend the existence of it
of the good life; eudaimonia
○ The state is natural in that its
existence is logical and philosophical ● INCENTIVE & PROGRESS → social progress
→ “the state is by nature clearly prior can be achieved through greater individual
to the family and the individual since effort & competence
the whole is of necessary prior to the ● PLEASURE → ownership of property provides
part” happiness to all who have access to it
● INSTRUMENTAL → to be used for purposes ● LIBERALITY → Private property must set an
and ends higher than it selfideal example of liberality due to inequality
● LONGUE DUREE → “We should not disregard
the experience of ages”
IDEAL VS REAL STATE
● Real conditions that humans live in society CRITICISMS TOWARDS ARISTOTLE
must be taken into account
● So even though Aristotle’s ideal form of ● Thomas Hobbes criticized the idea that
government is aristocracy, he acknowledges citizens are naturally suited to political life
that democracy is better for the majority because they are solitary, nasty, brutish &
● A constitutional government, based on limited short
suffrage, is still the best for most states ● St. Thomas Aquinas believed that politics
● Political stability depends on equitable social should be based on both reason & faith since
and economic order. With that in mind, God must always be in the picture of man’s
Aristotle was opposed to the ruling of either pursuit of the good life
the excessively wealthy or the proletariat; thus
the best to lead are the middle class 3 ST. AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO
CITIZENSHIP
Sir Mikael Perez | 2025
○ Born: (428-347 BC); Age of Pericles’
1 PLATO & THE REPUBLIC Athens; Peloponnesian War
○ Was critical of Athenian thought → not
everyone is skilled enough in the
ANCIENT GREECE AND THE ROLE OF exercise of political power since it
REASON requires dedication and long
apprenticeship
● True political philosophy began with the ○ Conceptualized the ideal city
Greeks (Kallipolis) and how best to manage it
○ Prior to rationalism, primary sources of in his work The Republic
belief were myths and gods
○ Now, rationalism and secularism were THE REPUBLIC
at the forefront of Greek thought
○ Emphasis on humanism and naturalism
→ you must understand nature before PLATO’S 2 CITIES
man
● Sophism Luxurious City City with a fever
○ Sophos → wise man
○ Sophia → wisdom, knowledge, and People have surrendered
skill that is necessary for the themselves to capital, access,
successful conduct of life and hedonism
○ Most famous Sophists: Gorgias,
Protgoras, Socrates Healthy City Ideal city
● Socrates
○ Socratic Method → Dialectical process Sustainable → limits the
of question and answer community’s resources to their
○ “Intellectual midwife” → facilitating actual needs
the birth of ideas already conceived in
the mind of a person
○ Accused of impiety and corruption of
PARTS OF THE SOUL
the youth in Athens
○ Mentored Plato for 40 years
● LOGOS → Reason
○ Location of thinking
PLATO: A BIOGRAPHY
○ loves the truth and seeks it
○ smallest but ruling part of the soul
● Led to the rise of classical Western political ● THYMOS → Spirit
thought ○ Location of anger
● EPITHYMIA → Appetite
NOTE: Western political thought doesn’t ○ Location of desire
necessarily need to come from the West; it’s more
the elements of Western thought that make it CLASSES
“Western” (Greek rationalism, Jewish monotheistic
conception of God, and Christian love) ● PHILOSOPHER-KINGS (guardians/gold) →
rulers who love wisdom & intelligence; willing
● Background to live a simple life
○ Simplicity is necessary for a good
leader and combat political corruption
, Social Science 2 Midterm
Sir Mikael Perez | 2025
○ Ideal leader ● Karl Popper criticizes Plato’s critique of
○ Sex shouldn’t be a factor in who democracy: “Better to have a bad tyrant and a
should rule but Plato was misogynistic bad democracy” and points out that Socrates
■ Should be raised by guardian was an authoritarian sympathizer
class to ensure good morals
are taught continuity of 2 ARISTOTLE & POLITICS
Philosopher-Kings
○ MILITARY (auxiliaries/silver) →
soldiers ARISTOTLE: A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
○ PRODUCERS (workers) → produce
goods and services in society ● Born: (384-322 BC); Stagira; physician dad
● Student of Plato in the Academy for 20 years
FORMS OF GOVERNMENT ● Established the Lyceum that encouraged
teaching & research in almost every area of
knowledge
● ARISTOCRACY → Plato’s ideal government
● Became Alexander the Great’s close tutor
because Philosopher-Kings rule it
● Went into exile after Athens rose against
● TIMOCRACY → guardians & auxiliaries rule
Macedonia (323 BC) and died a year later (322
● OLIGARCHY → only a few powerful people
BC)
have power; distinguishes poor & rich
● DEMOCRACY → rule of the poor
● TYRANNY → in the middle of chaos caused by ARISTOTLE VS PLATO
democracy, tyrant seizes control to maintain
order and becomes abusive. Attempts to
ARISTOTLE VS PLATO
remove him fail because he is the one in
control
ARISTOTLE PLATO
Think of the forms of government as each one Society is at its middle-class Philosopher-
being a degeneration of the previous one best when who Kings
rules?
BEST → WORST
aristocracy → timocracy → oligarchy → democracy Gov’t should be laws, not men
→ tyranny ruled based on:
Who Both rich and Only
CRITIQUE TOWARDS DEMOCRACY participates in poor educated/intelli
gov’t? gent
● Democracy may fall to the rule of the mob →
the mob is selfish, lacks care for others, and is Ideal form of Monarchy & Aristocracy
motivated by personal desires gov’t: aristocracy
● Democracy risks bringing dictators to powers
● Democracy brings leaders with no skills or
morals POLITICS
CRITICISMS TOWARDS PLATO CORRECT DEVIATION
● Aristotle argues that Plato’s Kallipolis is not One Ruler Monarchy Tyranny
possible or realistic
, Social Science 2 Midterm
Sir Mikael Perez | 2025
● DEFINITION: The citizen is the one who has
Few Rulers Aristocracy Oligarchy/Plutocr
the power to take part in the deliberative or
/Republic acy
judicial administration of the state
○ HOWEVER… not all citizens have
Many Rulers Direct Anarchy/rule of
access to enough experience,
democracy the mob
education, and leisure to devote to
active citizenship
THE STATE ○ The concept of representative
government is alien to the ancient
Greeks because democracy should be
● “Highest of all communities”
directly participated by all citizens
● NATURAL COMMUNITY → organism with
○ Justified slavery due to universal order
qualities of humans
of superiority → men vs women,
○ The state is natural in that it is
reason vs passion, master vs slave
inevitably created after families and
towns
■ Family: self-sufficiency/daily IN DEFENSE OF PRIVATE PROPERTY
needs
■ Village: supplying more than
NOTE: The idea of private property wasn’t popular
the family can satisfy
in Ancient Greece but Aristotle was trying to
■ City-state: exists for the sake
defend the existence of it
of the good life; eudaimonia
○ The state is natural in that its
existence is logical and philosophical ● INCENTIVE & PROGRESS → social progress
→ “the state is by nature clearly prior can be achieved through greater individual
to the family and the individual since effort & competence
the whole is of necessary prior to the ● PLEASURE → ownership of property provides
part” happiness to all who have access to it
● INSTRUMENTAL → to be used for purposes ● LIBERALITY → Private property must set an
and ends higher than it selfideal example of liberality due to inequality
● LONGUE DUREE → “We should not disregard
the experience of ages”
IDEAL VS REAL STATE
● Real conditions that humans live in society CRITICISMS TOWARDS ARISTOTLE
must be taken into account
● So even though Aristotle’s ideal form of ● Thomas Hobbes criticized the idea that
government is aristocracy, he acknowledges citizens are naturally suited to political life
that democracy is better for the majority because they are solitary, nasty, brutish &
● A constitutional government, based on limited short
suffrage, is still the best for most states ● St. Thomas Aquinas believed that politics
● Political stability depends on equitable social should be based on both reason & faith since
and economic order. With that in mind, God must always be in the picture of man’s
Aristotle was opposed to the ruling of either pursuit of the good life
the excessively wealthy or the proletariat; thus
the best to lead are the middle class 3 ST. AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO
CITIZENSHIP
