- Source
- Aristotle. Aristotelis Politica. Ross, William David, editor. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1957 (printing).
- Translation
- AI-generated (gemini-3.5-flash) — machine translation; may contain errors
- Languages
- 日本語 · English · 简体中文 · 한국어
- CTS URN
- urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0086.tlg035.humanitext-grc2:6.1318b
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-30
After noting the difficulty of realizing equality and justice, the author identifies the agricultural democracy as the best and oldest form, discussing its structure and beneficial institutional design.
ἢ γὰρ ἀποκληρωτέον1 ἢ ἄλλο τι τοιοῦτον ποιητέον. ἀλλὰ περὶ μὲν τοῦ ἴσου καὶ τοῦ δικαίου, κἂν ᾖ2 πάνυ χαλεπὸν εὑρεῖν τὴν ἀλήθειαν περὶ αὐτῶν, ὅμως ῥᾷον τυχεῖν ἢ συμπεῖσαι τοὺς δυναμένους πλεονεκτεῖν· ἀεὶ γὰρ ζητοῦσι τὸ ἴσον καὶ τὸ δίκαιον οἱ ἥττους, οἱ δὲ κρατοῦντες οὐδὲν φροντίζουσιν. δημοκρατιῶν δʼ οὐσῶν τεττάρων βελτίστη μὲν ἡ πρώτη τάξει, καθάπερ ἐν τοῖς πρὸ τούτων ἐλέχθη λόγοις· ἔστι δὲ καὶ ἀρχαιοτάτη πασῶν αὕτη. λέγω δὲ πρώτην ὥσπερ ἄν τις διέλοι τοὺς δήμους. βέλτιστος γὰρ δῆμος ὁ γεωργικός ἐστιν, ὥστε καὶ ποιεῖν ἐνδέχεται δημοκρατίαν ὅπου ζῇ τὸ πλῆθος ἀπὸ γεωργίας ἢ νομῆς. διὰ μὲν γὰρ τὸ μὴ πολλὴν οὐσίαν ἔχειν3 ἄσχολος, ὥστε μὴ πολλάκις ἐκκλησιάζειν διὰ δὲ τὸ ἔχειν τἀναγκαῖα πρὸς τοῖς ἔργοις διατρίβουσι καὶ τῶν ἀλλοτρίων οὐκ ἐπιθυμοῦσιν, ἀλλʼ ἥδιον αὐτοῖς τὸ ἐργάζεσθαι τοῦ πολιτεύεσθαι καὶ ἄρχειν, ὅπου ἂν μὴ ᾖ λήμματα μεγάλα ἀπὸ τῶν ἀρχῶν. οἱ γὰρ πολλοὶ μᾶλλον ὀρέγονται τοῦ κέρδους ἢ τῆς τιμῆς. σημεῖον δέ· καὶ γὰρ τὰς ἀρχαίας τυραννίδας ὑπέμενον καὶ τὰς ὀλιγαρχίας ὑπομένουσιν, ἐάν τις αὐτοὺς ἐργάζεσθαι μὴ κωλύῃ μηδʼ ἀφαιρῆται μηθέν· ταχέως γὰρ οἱ μὲν πλουτοῦσιν αὐτῶν οἱ δʼ οὐκ ἀποροῦσιν. ἔτι δὲ τὸ κυρίους εἶναι τοῦ ἑλέσθαι καὶ εὐθύνειν ἀναπληροῖ τὴν ἔνδειαν, εἴ τι φιλοτιμίας ἔχουσιν, ἐπεὶ παρʼ ἐνίοις δήμοις, κἂν μὴ μετέχωσι τῆς αἱρέσεως τῶν ἀρχῶν ἀλλά τινες αἱρετοὶ κατὰ μέρος ἐκ πάντων, ὥσπερ ἐν Μαντινείᾳ, τοῦ δὲ βουλεύεσθαι κύριοι ὦσιν, ἱκανῶς ἔχει τοῖς πολλοῖς· καὶ δεῖ νομίζειν καὶ τοῦτʼ εἶναι σχῆμά τι δημοκρατίας, ὥσπερ ἐν Μαντινείᾳ ποτʼ ἦν. διὸ δὴ καὶ συμφέρον ἐστὶ τῇ πρότερον ῥηθείσῃ δημοκρατίᾳ καὶ ὑπάρχειν εἴωθεν, αἱρεῖσθαι μὲν τὰς ἀρχὰς καὶ εὐθύνειν καὶ δικάζειν πάντας, ἄρχειν δὲ τὰς μεγίστας αἱρετοὺς καὶ ἀπὸ τιμημάτων, τὰς μείζους ἀπὸ μειζόνων, ἢ καὶ ἀπὸ τιμημάτων μὲν μηδεμίαν, ἀλλὰ τοὺς δυναμένους. ἀνάγκη δὲ πολιτευομένους οὕτω πολιτεύεσθαί καλῶς (αἱ τε γὰρ ἀρχαὶ ἀεὶ διὰ τῶν βελτίστων ἔσονται, τοῦ δήμου βουλομένου καὶ τοῖς ἐπιεικέσιν οὐ φθονοῦντος), καὶ τοῖς ἐπιεικέσι καὶ γνωρίμοις ἀρκοῦσαν εἶναι ταύτην τὴν τάξιν· ἄρξονται γὰρ οὐχ ὑπʼ ἄλλων χειρόνων, καὶ ἄρξουσι δικαίως διὰ τὸ τῶν εὐθυνῶν εἶναι κυρίους ἑτέρους. τὸ γὰρ ἐπανακρέμασθαι,4 καὶ μὴ πᾶν ἐξεῖναι ποιεῖν ὅ τι ἂν δόξῃ, συμφέρον ἐστίν· ἡ γὰρ ἐξουσία τοῦ πράττειν ὅ τι ἂν ἐθέλῃ τις οὐ δύναται φυλάττειν τὸ ἐν ἑκάστῳ τῶν ἀνθρώπων φαῦλον.
For either they must decide by lot or do some other such thing. But although to find the truth about equality and justice is very difficult, yet it is easier to attain it than to persuade those who are able to take more than their share. For the weaker always seek equality and justice, but those who are in power care nothing for it. Of the four kinds of democracy, the first in order is the best, as was said in the previous discussions; and this is also the oldest of all. I call it the first in the sense of how one would classify the populations (demes). For the best common people are those who are agriculturalists, so that it is also possible to establish a democracy where the multitude lives by agriculture or pasturage. For because they do not possess much property they are busy, so that they do not often attend the assembly; and because they have the necessities of life they spend their time in their labors and do not covet the property of others, but to work is more pleasant to them than to engage in politics and to hold office, where there are no great spoils to be gained from the offices. For the majority desire profit more than honor. And here is a proof: they used to endure even the ancient tyrannies, and they still endure oligarchies, if only no one prevents them from working or deprives them of anything; for quickly some of them become rich and the others do not lack means. Furthermore, having the power to elect and to call to account fills the lack, if they have any desire for honor, since in some democracies, even if they do not share in the election of offices, but some elected individuals do so by turns from all the citizens, as was the case in Mantinea, yet if they have the power to deliberate, this is sufficient for the majority; and we must consider this also to be a form of democracy, just as it once was in Mantinea. Therefore, it is both advantageous to the previously mentioned democracy and is customary for it to exist, that all should elect the offices, audit them, and act as jurors, but that the highest offices should be elective and filled according to property qualifications, the greater offices from greater qualifications, or even that no office should be based on property qualifications, but rather that those who are capable should rule. And those who govern in this way must necessarily govern well (for the offices will always be held by the best citizens, since the people wish it and do not envy the respectable), and this arrangement will be satisfactory for the respectable and notable; for they will not be ruled by others who are inferior, and they will rule justly because others are sovereign over their audits. For to be dependent, and not to be allowed to do everything that seems good, is advantageous; for the liberty to do whatever one wishes cannot guard against the evil that is in each of human beings.
- 1318b1ἀποκληρωτέον
The words ἀποκληρωτέον and ποιητέον are neuter singular forms of verbal adjectives used impersonally to express obligation ('must be decided by lot', 'must be done').
- 1318b1κἂν ᾖ
κἂν is a contraction of καὶ ἐάν, taking the subjunctive ᾖ to introduce a concessive conditional clause ('even if it is...').
- 1318b10διὰ ... τὸ μὴ πολλὴν οὐσίαν ἔχειν
The preposition διὰ is followed by the articular infinitive in the accusative (τὸ ... ἔχειν) with the negative particle μή, expressing cause ('because of not having...'). The implied subject of the infinitive is the 'agricultural population' (ὁ γεωργικός δῆμος).
- 1318b35τὸ γὰρ ἐπανακρέμασθαι
The articular infinitive τὸ ἐπανακρέμασθαι (passive or middle voice) functions as a noun and serves as the subject of the clause, meaning 'to be dependent' or 'to hang upon' (others, i.e., being constrained).