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Aristotle · Politics §7.1331b

Commercial Agora and the Conditions for Well-Being

Passage 136 of 155 · Greek

Summary

Aristotle defines the location and function of the commercial marketplace for business, and briefly outlines the arrangement of public offices and sacred sites in the countryside. He then transition to the inquiry into the ideal constitution, introducing the two essential conditions for achieving well-being: setting the correct end and finding the appropriate means.

§7.1331bτὴν δὲ τῶν ὠνίων ἀγορὰν ἑτέραν τε δεῖ ταύτης εἶναι καὶ χωρίς, ἔχουσαν τόπον εὐσυνάγωγον τοῖς τε ἀπὸ τῆς θαλάττης πεμπομένοις καὶ τοῖς ἀπὸ τῆς χώρας πᾶσιν.
On the other hand, the marketplace for buying and selling must be different from this and separate, occupying a site easy of access both for goods sent from the sea and for all those sent from the country.
ἐπεὶ δὲ τὸ προεστὸς διαιρεῖται τῆς πόλεως εἰς ἱερεῖς καὶ εἰς ἄρχοντας, πρέπει καὶ τῶν ἱερέων συσσίτια περὶ τὴν τῶν ἱερῶν οἰκοδομημάτων ἔχειν τὴν τάξιν.
Since the leading class of the city is divided into priests and magistrates, it is fitting that the common messes of the priests also should have their arrangement around the sacred buildings.
τῶν δʼ ἀρχείων ὅσα περὶ τὰ συμβόλαια ποιεῖται τὴν ἐπιμέλειαν, περί τε γραφὰς δικῶν καὶ τὰς κλήσεις καὶ τὴν ἄλλην τὴν τοιαύτην διοίκησιν, ἔτι δὲ περὶ τὴν ἀγορανομίαν καὶ τὴν καλουμένην ἀστυνομίαν, πρὸς ἀγορᾷ μὲν δεῖ καὶ συνόδῳ τινὶ κοινῇ κατεσκευάσθαι, τοιοῦτος δʼ ὁ περὶ τὴν ἀναγκαίαν ἀγοράν ἐστι τόπος·
And as for those offices of the magistrates which take charge of contracts, of indictments, summonses, and other such administration, and furthermore of market-regulation and what is called city-regulation, they must be established near a marketplace and some common meeting-place, and such is the site around the necessary marketplace.
ἐνσχολάζειν μὲν γὰρ τὴν ἄνω τίθεμεν, ταύτην δὲ πρὸς τὰς ἀναγκαίας πράξεις.
For we assign the upper marketplace for leisure, but this one for necessary business.
μεμιμῆσθαι δὲ χρὴ τὴν εἰρημένην τάξιν καὶ τὰ περὶ τὴν χώραν·
And the same arrangement as has been described should also be imitated in the country.
καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖ τοῖς ἄρχουσιν οὓς καλοῦσιν οἱ μὲν ὑλωροὺς οἱ δὲ ἀγρονόμους καὶ φυλακτήρια καὶ συσσίτια πρὸς φυλακὴν ἀναγκαῖον ὑπάρχειν, ἔτι δὲ ἱερὰ κατὰ τὴν χώραν εἶναι νενεμημένα, τὰ μὲν θεοῖς τὰ δὲ ἥρωσιν.
For there too, for the magistrates whom some call forest-wardens and others land-wardens, it is necessary that guard-posts and common messes for guarding should exist, and furthermore that temples should be distributed throughout the country, some dedicated to gods and others to heroes.
ἀλλὰ τὸ διατρίβειν νῦν ἀκριβολογουμένους καὶ λέγοντας περὶ τῶν τοιούτων ἀργόν ἐστιν·
But to spend time now in being precise and speaking about such matters is useless.
οὐ γὰρ χαλεπόν ἐστι τὰ τοιαῦτα νοῆσαι, ἀλλὰ ποιῆσαι μᾶλλον· τὸ μὲν γὰρ λέγειν εὐχῆς ἔργον ἐστί, τὸ δὲ συμβῆναι τύχης.
For it is not difficult to conceive such things, but rather to execute them; for speaking is a matter of wish, but their happening is a matter of fortune.
διὸ περὶ μὲν τῶν τοιούτων τό γε ἐπὶ πλεῖον ἀφείσθω τὰ νῦν.
Therefore, let further discussion about such matters be dismissed for the present.
περὶ δὲ τῆς πολιτείας αὐτῆς, ἐκ τίνων καὶ ποίων δεῖ συνεστάναι τὴν μέλλουσαν ἔσεσθαι πόλιν μακαρίαν καὶ πολιτεύσεσθαι καλῶς, λεκτέον.
Now, concerning the constitution itself, we must speak of what and what kind of persons the city that is to be happy and well-governed should consist of.
ἐπεὶ δὲ δύʼ ἐστὶν ἐν οἷς γίγνεται τὸ εὖ πᾶσι, τούτοιν δʼ ἐστὶν ἓν μὲν ἐν τῷ τὸν σκοπὸν κεῖσθαι καὶ τὸ τέλος τῶν πράξεων ὀρθῶς, ἓν δὲ τὰς πρὸς τὸ τέλος φερούσας πράξεις εὑρίσκειν (ἐνδέχεται γὰρ ταῦτα καὶ διαφωνεῖν ἀλλήλοις καὶ συμφωνεῖν· ἐνίοτε γὰρ ὁ μὲν σκοπὸς ἔκκειται καλῶς, ἐν δὲ τῷ πράττειν τοῦ τυχεῖν αὐτοῦ διαμαρτάνουσιν, ὁτὲ δὲ τῶν μὲν πρὸς τὸ τέλος πάντων ἐπιτυγχάνουσιν, ἀλλὰ τὸ τέλος ἔθεντο φαῦλον, ὁτὲ δὲ ἑκατέρου διαμαρτάνουσιν, οἷον περὶ ἰατρικήν· οὔτε γὰρ ποῖόν τι δεῖ τὸ ὑγιαῖνον εἶναι σῶμα κρίνουσιν ἐνίοτε καλῶς, οὔτε πρὸς τὸν ὑποκείμενον αὐτοῖς ὅρον τυγχάνουσι τῶν ποιητικῶν· δεῖ δʼ ἐν ταῖς τέχναις καὶ ἐπιστήμαις ταῦτα ἀμφότερα κρατεῖσθαι, τὸ τέλος καὶ τὰς εἰς τὸ τέλος πράξεις), ὅτι μὲν οὖν τοῦ τε εὖ ζῆν καὶ τῆς εὐδαιμονίας ἐφίενται πάντες, φανερόν, ἀλλὰ τούτων τοῖς μὲν ἐξουσία τυγχάνει τοῖς δὲ οὔ, διά τινα τύχην ἢ φύσιν
And since there are two things in which well-being consists for everyone, and of these one is that the aim and end of actions be rightly proposed, and the other is to find the actions that lead to the end—for it is possible for these sometimes to disagree with each other and sometimes to agree; for sometimes the aim is well proposed, but they fail in action to achieve it, and at other times they succeed in all the means leading to the end, but they proposed a bad end, and at other times they fail in both, as in medicine, where sometimes they neither judge well what kind of body a healthy one should be, nor do they hit upon the productive means for the goal set before them; yet in arts and sciences both these must be mastered, namely the end and the actions leading to the end—that, then, everyone aims at living well and at happiness is clear, but of these, some have the power to attain them while others do not, owing to some fortune or nature.

Notes

  1. 1331b3τοῖς τε ἀπὸ τῆς θαλάττης πεμπομένοις καὶ τοῖς ἀπὸ τῆς χώρας πᾶσιν — The datives depend on the adjective `εὐσυνάγωγον` (easy of access, easy to bring together). `τοῖς πεμπομένοις` is neuter plural, meaning "goods sent from the sea." By symmetry, and considering that the commercial marketplace serves as a hub for commodities, `τοῖς πᾶσιν` is best understood as neuter plural ("all things sent from the country"), though a masculine interpretation ("all people coming from the country") is grammatically possible.
  2. 1331b12ἐνσχολάζειν μὲν γὰρ τὴν ἄνω τίθεμεν — This is an accusative and infinitive construction where the verb `τίθεμεν` (we posit, appoint) takes the accusative `τὴν ἄνω` (the upper marketplace) and the infinitive `ἐνσχολάζειν` (to spend leisure in). In the second part, `ταύτην δὲ` (but this one), the main verb `τίθεμεν` is omitted by ellipsis, directly connecting the accusative object to the prepositional phrase `πρὸς τὰς ἀναγκαίας πράξεις`.
  3. 1331b26ἐπεὶ δὲ δύʼ ἐστὶν ἐν οἷς γίγνεται τὸ εὖ πᾶσι — This sentence starts with a very long subordinate clause introduced by `ἐπεὶ` (1331b26-40), which contains a lengthy parenthetical explanation (1331b29-38). Grammatically, it results in an anacoluthon, as the expected main clause corresponding to `ἐπεὶ` is structurally missing, and the sentence restarts with `ὅτι μὲν οὖν... φανερόν` (that... is clear) as the main statement.

Cite this passage

Aristotle, Politics §7.1331b. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0086.tlg035.humanitext-grc2:7.1331b

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