(Theory of aristotle on state and government)

Evolutionary Theory of State: According to Aristotle, man is a social and
political animal. Man lives a political life. Politics cannot be separated from the
life of man. Formation of the State was a gradual process. To meet his needs, he
first formed the family. In the family, there are the master, slave, male, and the
female members. All of them come together in the family. However, the family
cannot meet all his economic needs. Therefore, he forms a village. In the village,
there are many families. But, the village cannot meet all his needs. Therefore,
man formed the state. The state is a kind of community. But the state is the
highest form of community. It is above all communities. The aim of state is
goodness. It aims at the highest good. It is the perfect form of organisation. It
came into being for the sake of life and continues for the sake of good life.
Man is a man only when he lives in a state. Without the state, man cannot
realise his destiny11. Thus it can be seen that Aristotle presented an
Evolutionary Theory of State. The state is the result of an evolution. Family and village have developed into the state.
Natural formation of State: Formation of State is natural. Family is based
on human nature. Just as family is natural, the state also is natural. State is
the final development of the family. State is the highest form of social
organisation. State is the highest organisation because it aims at the highest
goodness. It is the supreme association. It is an association of associations. It
covers all individuals and associations. Individuals and associations have meaning only when they are parts of the state.
Organic Theory of State: The state is organic in nature. The state is the
result of a growth. Just like an organism12, state consists of many parts. The
parts form the state. The parts cannot separate from the whole. The parts have
no meaning without the whole. Thus, the state embraces all the other human
associations.

Functions of State: Function of the state is the moral perfection of the
individual. It is like an educational institution. State has the positive function of
promoting good life. It is an instrument of training the citizen in intellectual,
moral, and physical goodness.

State and Government: Aristotle made a difference between State and
Government. According to him, the Government is only an instrument of the
State. The Government and the people in government can be changed easily. But,
the State cannot be changed easily. It can be changed only with the change in the
constitution, which is not easy. According to him, the Government consisted of
only a few citizens while the State consisted of all the citizens.
Bases of formation of government: According to Aristotle, a Government
can be formed on the basis of birth, Wealth and Number. A Monarch is an
example of a Government based on birth. If the successor of a Monarch is bad, it
is not good for the State. A government based on Wealth may not be politically
and morally good. A Government based on number is good because many people
work on the government. But it may not be able to solve difficult problems
because many people are involved to solve a problem. Moreover, the power will come to concentrate in few hands.
So friend this is all about the Theory of aristotle on state and government and thanks for reading.