1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:04,440 Aristotle was very interested in politics. 2 00:00:04,440 --> 00:00:09,440 That's why he studied how different societies are governed. 3 00:00:10,000 --> 00:00:13,160 In those days, in the fourth century BC, 4 00:00:13,160 --> 00:00:16,120 Greece was divided in different states, 5 00:00:16,120 --> 00:00:19,320 in different small cities that were independent. 6 00:00:19,320 --> 00:00:23,680 And Aristotle studied how these cities were ruled. 7 00:00:23,680 --> 00:00:25,800 He discovered that different cities 8 00:00:25,800 --> 00:00:27,800 had different ways of government. 9 00:00:27,840 --> 00:00:31,160 In some of them, there was one person having the power. 10 00:00:31,160 --> 00:00:35,120 In others, it was a small group of people who had the power. 11 00:00:35,120 --> 00:00:39,720 And in others, such as Athens, there was a democracy, 12 00:00:39,720 --> 00:00:42,020 meaning that all the people had the power. 13 00:00:42,920 --> 00:00:47,920 When are these forms of government acceptable and fair? 14 00:00:48,080 --> 00:00:51,280 Aristotle thought that they could all be fair 15 00:00:51,280 --> 00:00:55,480 if they tried to obtain the common good of everybody. 16 00:00:55,520 --> 00:00:58,960 If a certain way of government tries to be just 17 00:00:58,960 --> 00:01:01,400 because it is interested in the common good, 18 00:01:01,400 --> 00:01:04,160 in the welfare of all the population, 19 00:01:04,160 --> 00:01:06,880 then it is acceptable and legitimate. 20 00:01:06,880 --> 00:01:11,720 But for Aristotle, if the way of government is unjust 21 00:01:11,720 --> 00:01:15,840 because it is trying to obtain a particular benefit 22 00:01:15,840 --> 00:01:19,760 for a group, then it is not acceptable. 23 00:01:19,760 --> 00:01:22,560 So Aristotle classified all the different types 24 00:01:22,560 --> 00:01:26,800 of government he knew in two big groups, 25 00:01:26,800 --> 00:01:30,560 fair and acceptable, which are those that try 26 00:01:30,560 --> 00:01:35,080 to obtain the common good, and fair and unacceptable 27 00:01:35,080 --> 00:01:38,600 if they try to persuade a particular interest 28 00:01:38,600 --> 00:01:40,760 and not the common good for everybody. 29 00:01:41,720 --> 00:01:44,160 Now, different societies can have different ways 30 00:01:44,160 --> 00:01:46,880 of government and they can be okay 31 00:01:46,880 --> 00:01:49,560 because everything depends on the circumstances 32 00:01:49,560 --> 00:01:52,160 and peculiarities of that society. 33 00:01:52,760 --> 00:01:54,720 Everything is okay as long as they try 34 00:01:54,720 --> 00:01:56,600 to achieve the common good. 35 00:01:56,600 --> 00:02:01,040 For example, if in a city, one person has the power, 36 00:02:01,040 --> 00:02:03,520 this is what Aristotle called a monarchy, 37 00:02:03,520 --> 00:02:05,440 and it is an acceptable way of government 38 00:02:05,440 --> 00:02:09,720 if this king tries to obtain the common good for everybody 39 00:02:09,720 --> 00:02:13,480 and is interested in the welfare of all society. 40 00:02:13,480 --> 00:02:16,800 If a small group of people have the power, 41 00:02:16,800 --> 00:02:19,360 Aristotle called this an aristocracy, 42 00:02:19,360 --> 00:02:21,400 and it can be fair if they are interested 43 00:02:21,440 --> 00:02:22,400 in the common good. 44 00:02:23,280 --> 00:02:26,760 And democracy is a fair and just way of government 45 00:02:26,760 --> 00:02:28,640 where all the people have the power 46 00:02:28,640 --> 00:02:31,920 and they try to achieve the common benefit for everybody. 47 00:02:32,760 --> 00:02:37,320 But these systems can get corrupted, can be unjust, 48 00:02:37,320 --> 00:02:39,320 if they are not trying to pursue 49 00:02:39,320 --> 00:02:42,760 the final common good of everybody. 50 00:02:42,760 --> 00:02:45,320 For example, if a king has the power, 51 00:02:45,320 --> 00:02:48,520 but he's interested in his particular interest 52 00:02:48,560 --> 00:02:50,200 and not the common interest, 53 00:02:50,200 --> 00:02:53,000 then we no longer have a monarchy. 54 00:02:53,000 --> 00:02:57,920 We have a tyranny because the king has become a tyrant. 55 00:02:57,920 --> 00:03:00,760 That is what we call today a dictator. 56 00:03:00,760 --> 00:03:03,920 But in those days, Aristotle called that a tyranny. 57 00:03:04,760 --> 00:03:07,200 When a small group of people have the power 58 00:03:07,200 --> 00:03:10,040 and they are interested in their particular benefit, 59 00:03:10,040 --> 00:03:13,040 that is what Aristotle called an oligarchy, 60 00:03:13,040 --> 00:03:15,040 which is an unfair way of government. 61 00:03:16,280 --> 00:03:17,960 And what about a democracy? 62 00:03:17,960 --> 00:03:20,200 Can a democracy become a corrupt 63 00:03:20,200 --> 00:03:23,200 and unjust system of government? 64 00:03:23,200 --> 00:03:25,000 Yes, of course it can. 65 00:03:25,000 --> 00:03:28,360 Think about a place where the people have the power, 66 00:03:28,360 --> 00:03:31,440 but they are not interested in the benefit of everybody. 67 00:03:31,440 --> 00:03:32,600 They are only interested 68 00:03:32,600 --> 00:03:36,000 in their particular selfish interest. 69 00:03:36,000 --> 00:03:38,200 This is what we call a demagogy, 70 00:03:38,200 --> 00:03:41,400 which is the corruption of a democracy. 71 00:03:41,400 --> 00:03:44,680 An example, think about a country 72 00:03:44,680 --> 00:03:48,000 where the majority of the people vote 73 00:03:48,000 --> 00:03:51,800 and their decision is taken by majority, 74 00:03:51,800 --> 00:03:56,800 but what they decide is not benefiting everybody. 75 00:03:56,840 --> 00:03:59,120 For example, what would happen if we vote 76 00:03:59,120 --> 00:04:03,600 and we decide by majority that minorities in our society 77 00:04:03,600 --> 00:04:07,000 should be discriminated and treated unfairly? 78 00:04:07,000 --> 00:04:11,120 This decision is taken democratically by a vote, 79 00:04:11,120 --> 00:04:12,520 but it is not fair 80 00:04:12,520 --> 00:04:15,720 because it is not thinking about the benefit 81 00:04:15,720 --> 00:04:18,000 and welfare of everybody. 82 00:04:18,000 --> 00:04:22,280 This is what Aristotle considered a corruption of democracy 83 00:04:22,280 --> 00:04:24,880 and that is what we today call a demagogy.