Aristotle was an ancient Greek philosopher (384 BC – 322 BC) who had, at the age of seventeen, joined Plato’s Academy in Athens. He studied there for twenty years and later became tutor to Alexander, who would become Alexander the Great, master of the Persian Empire.
Alexander III of Macedon, commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon and a member of the Argead dynasty. He was born in Pella in 356 BC and succeeded his father Philip II to the throne at the age of twenty. He spent most of his ruling years on an unprecedented military campaign through Asia and northeast Africa, and he created one of the largest empires of the ancient world by the age of thirty, stretching from Greece to northwestern India
In discussions about ancient Greek democracy, the most often referenced text is the ‘Politics’ of Aristotle.
He believed that someone who is virtuous in ruling a democracy, must be able to put the common good above their own individual good.
He also believed that a democracy is a failure where the majority is poor and non-virtuous. This means that whomever is in office, and all have equal access to office because of democracy’s concept of equality, may not act in the best interests of the State and its citizens.
Aristotle famously said: ‘When there is no middle class, and the poor greatly exceed in number, troubles arise, and the State soon comes to an end’.