Topic : What is Aristotle’s assessment of the democratic regime, and is that judgment correct? In your answer, be sure to: (a) explain Aristotle’s definition of the democratic regime; (b) present the advantages and disadvantages of this regime, as Aristotle sees them; (c) introduce counter-arguments or advance objections to Aristotle’s argument (either tending to argue that democracy is better or worse than Aristotle thinks it is, or that he’s misunderstood something important); and finally (d) reach and justify your own conclusion about whether Aristotle’s judgment of democracy is ultimately correct. (Note that if you are going to say he’s wrong, you should say what he’s wrong about and what the correct view is).
General Your paper should be based on your own close analysis of the Politics. In writing this paper, you are free to consult any source you wish, but it is not necessary to read anything other than the Politics (indeed, it is not recommended that you do so). The purpose of this paper is not to present other readers’ interpretations of Aristotle, but to present your own reasoned analysis and considered judgment of the arguments he articulates.
The topic calls for you to make critical judgments based on your interpretations of the relevant arguments. Any claim you make about Aristotle should be supported by references to the text. (This means that all good papers will include many citations to Aristotle’s text). Every direct quotation must be attributed; it is also appropriate to cite passages to which you are alluding or which you are paraphrasing but not directly quoting. Use the Bekker numbers to refer to specific passages in the Politics (as I have done in class). You need to specify what edition you are using only if you are not using the Lord translation. If your edition does not have Bekker numbers, please consult me about how to cite Aristotle.
Every paper should advance a clear, unified argument—i.e., you must take a position on the topic and defend it with evidence and reasons. It is a good idea to state your thesis at or near the beginning of the paper and to define any terms whose meaning is vague. The argument should respond directly to the assigned topic; papers that do not answer the question will be harshly penalized.
Your argument must be logically coherent and factually correct. Claims about the assigned text must be accurate; you may argue “counter-intuitive” readings of the text if you wish, but be sure to substantiate such readings with quotations and other evidence. The papers should be carefully organized: arguments should appear in a clear and perceptibly rational order. Make clear how each paragraph and each quotation furthers the argument. Each paragraph should have a clear topic sentence; the point of each quotation should be explained with follow-up sentences.
Your thesis should be tested by counter-argument or alternative argument and should be qualified where necessary. Don’t ignore important objections or present a simplistic conclusion; instead, you should evaluate all the evidence fairly.
It is a good idea to end the essay with a short, concluding paragraph that rephrases your argument, pulls everything together, and ideally, points beyond the paper’s thesis—for example, toward the implications of the argument or toward new issues of interest raised but not resolved by the problem considered in the essay.
One final note: grammatical mistakes, errors of usage, and poor spelling detract from the quality of written arguments and will be penalized.