Aristotle’s Case for Political Mixing

Abstract

Modern interpreters have stressed the significance of the mixed regime, or πολιτεία, in Aristotle’s political philosophy. Yet most neglect that the ‘city of prayer’ is also a mixed regime, combining a power-sharing arrangement between the city’s parts. This reveals that what defines a good constitution for Aristotle is its effective blend of reasonable but incommensurable claims. Accounting for the mixed character of the prayed-for city shows that while πολιτεία is the most attainable regime that meets this standard, mixing is always and everywhere necessary due to the composite nature of human beings themselves.