Empiricism in the Politics: Polity and the Middle Regime

Abstract

We turn now to the consideration of a pair of questions of a different logical order, questions belonging to what I have been calling the second-order doctrine of the Politics. The first of these is about the form of constitution given the name ‘polity’ (politeia) by Aristotle. It is mentioned briefly in Book III, chapter vii, then pursued at greater length in subsequent books as a response to the question ‘what constitution is best for the majority of states?’ (IV. i 1288 b35ff., IV. ii 1289 b14ff., IV. xiii 1297 b32–34). The second is about the constitution that is said to be ‘best absolutely’ (IV. i 1288 b23ff., IV. ii 1289 a31ff.). One wishes to know the identities of both these forms.