The good man and the good citizen in Aristotle's "Politics"

Abstract

The distinction between the good man and the good citizen is of some importance for the understanding of Aristotle's political theory. This distinction, however, does not seem to have been fully understood. This paper will attempt to throw a little light upon the subject, essentially by means of an examination of the words used in the text. Aristotle begins, in chapter 4 of Book 3,1 discussing the excellence of the citizen. Just as each man in a ship's company has his own excellence (ope-r a term to be discussed later) which is peculiar to him, while each contributes to the same end the safe passage of the sea -, so citizens,