POLS 2900 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Dialectic, Cephalus, Polemarchus
9 May 2016
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Document Summary
Plato + socrates (context: the polis and athenian democracy, citizenship in ancient athens (polis is unique political form, athens experimenting with democracy (coined by. One came up with the idea of electing the common people. Polis (city-state): independent small community of people, forming distinct type of political association. (not necessarily urban, could be agricultural). Characteristics of an ideal state: able to defend itself (plato) At its height (400,000), 40,000 adult male citizens, 80-100k slaves, women excluded from public life. Aristotle: women and family life important for virtues. Residency, working, living, being born, did not guarantee citizenship. Both parents had to be citizens, recognized by them. Life in a polis: citizens living in a community. Directly involved in the governance of the state. A right and duty to attend popular assembly (which met every day). Attendance was paid, in order to rectify an imbalance in power, where educated and wealthy people would be more likely able to attend.
