HWC 204 Study Guide - Final Guide: Politeia, Absolution, Zakat

• School: University of Kansas
• Department: Humanities & Western Civ
• Course: HWC 204
• Professor: All

Document Summary

The best form of government according to aristotle: is a politeia, or constitutional government where the power rests in a strong middle class. If the rich were in power, the poor would envy them. If the poor were in power the rich would feel contempt. Aristotle considers constitutional government, in which the masses are granted citizenship and govern with everyone"s interest in mind, one of the best forms of government. It combines elements of oligarchy and democracy, finding a compromise between the demands of both the rich and the poor. Treasure house of merit (or treasure of merit) was one of the core complaints of martin luther at the start of the reformation in his ninety-five theses (see #56-60). Treasure house of merit existed, he rejected the belief that the church had sole possession of it. He believed instead that god had given merits equally to everyone, and thus merits could not be sold by the church.