In our fast paced technologically advanced society today, our
governments have evolved into supposedly well oiled machines effectively
managing budgets, jails, militaries, as well as many other programs.
Unfortunately, many of these governments are not as well organized, as they
could be. Democratic countries like France, Germany, and even the United
States have some very serious shortcomings to the way their governments
are managed. These problems occur, many times at a very basic level, rather
than at the minor details. One problem that is consistent with many
countries is the maintenance of governmental programs over large
geographical areas. Many times geographic or social differences within
countries are what cause these problems. The ancient Greek philosopher
Aristotle had simple, yet ingenious ways to deal with problems, precisely
like these. Aristotle solved this problem, for example, by dividing the
country into both geographic and social regions. Then he would have smaller
governments for each of these sections. These divisions were similar to
states or provinces in some modern countries today. Aristotle's ideas, in
general, on governmental politics were revolutionary in Athens, when he
wrote them and some could even have positive effects on governments
today. Modern governments, such as Germany, France, and the United States
could all use Aristotle's ideas to make their own governments run much more
efficiently. Aristotle even had plans to minimize corruption, a big problem in
most governments today. If modern democratic countries based their
political philosophies more on Aristotle's theories, they could run smoother
and do a better job of supporting the people, which is what democracies were
The polis is a partnership of citizens in a system of government that
serves to achieve the common good. It is not just a place where people live
...