BOOK II Chapter 5 Common Property Communism

Chapter 5

1. Introduction to Property in the Best Regime (1263a)
   • Aristotle raises the question of whether property should be common or private in the best regime.
   • This question is separate from the previous discussion on the common ownership of women and children.
   • The issue concerns whether land and its use should be common or private:
     • Example: Farmland could be held privately, but crops could be pooled for common use, or vice versa.
2. Potential Problems of Common Property
   • If citizens perform the labor themselves, the arrangement of common property could lead to resentment:
     • Unequal contributions to labor and rewards could cause accusations and frustration among citizens.
   • Human nature makes living and sharing common property difficult, as small matters often lead to friction, especially when people work closely together (e.g., servants and fellow travelers).
3. Current System with Good Laws and Virtue
   • Aristotle argues that the current system of private property is superior, especially when accompanied by good character and correct laws.
   • This approach combines the best of both worlds:
     • Property is private, but its use can be common when needed, as seen in some finely administered cities.
4. Examples of Common Use of Private Property
   • In some cities, private property is used in common for mutual benefit:
     • Sparta: Citizens share slaves, horses, dogs, and even provisions when traveling within the territory.
   • Conclusion: It is better for property to be private but for use to be common, and the legislator’s role is to ensure citizens are virtuous enough to share their resources when needed.
5. Affection for Property and Private Ownership
   • Aristotle notes that people naturally feel affection for things they consider their own.
   • Selfishness is condemned only when it involves excessive attachment to one’s property.
   • Private ownership allows citizens to experience the pleasure of helping others, which would be lost if everything were held in common.
6. Two Virtues Lost with Common Ownership
   • If all property were common, two important virtues would be lost:
     • Moderation: Abstaining from what belongs to others (e.g., another man’s wife).
     • Liberality: The ability to be generous with one’s own property.
7. Illusion of the Benefits of Common Property
   • The idea of common ownership seems appealing and humane because it promises greater affection among citizens and an end to conflicts over property.
   • However, property disputes and depravity are caused by human nature, not by the lack of common ownership.
   • Even those who share property often experience more conflict than those with private ownership.
8. Potential Good Things Lost in Common Ownership
   • Aristotle argues that the discussion should not only focus on the evils that common ownership might eliminate but also on the good things it sacrifices.
   • A life with common property appears to be impossible in practice.
9. Socrates’ Fundamental Error
   • Aristotle believes Socrates’ error lies in his incorrect basic premise that the city should be one in every sense.
   • The city must be one in a limited sense while still preserving its diversity; otherwise, it ceases to be a city and becomes something else.
10. Education and Unity Through Habits, Philosophy, and Laws
    • Unity should be achieved through education, habits, philosophy, and laws.
    • In Sparta and Crete, the common messes serve as a way to make certain aspects of property common without destroying the city's structure.
11. Historical Lessons and the Difficulty of Implementation
    • If common ownership were truly good, it would have been discovered and practiced by now.
    • The idea that common property creates unity is flawed because, in practice, cities need to be divided into different parts, such as clans and tribes, to function.
12. The Role of Farmers and the Guardians
    • Socrates does not explain how the farmers and artisans fit into the regime or how property will be managed for them.
    • If farmers have private property while the guardians do not, there will be tension between the two classes, leading to division within the city.
13. Problems with the Guardians' Happiness
    • Socrates asserts that the city as a whole should be happy, but happiness must be experienced by individuals.
    • If the guardians are not happy, it is unlikely that the artisans or other common citizens will be happy either.
14. Factional Conflict and the Selection of Rulers
    • Socrates’ method of always selecting the same individuals as rulers can lead to factional conflict, especially among spirited and ambitious men.
    • He relies on the myth that some people are born with golden souls (rulers) while others are born with bronze or iron souls (farmers and artisans).
15. Final Critique of Socrates' Regime
    • Socrates' regime raises significant questions, such as how the guardians can be expected to be virtuous while the farmers and artisans are not educated in the same way.
    • Private property and the division of the city into parts are necessary to maintain order and avoid conflict.

Key Themes in Chapter 5:

• Private Property vs. Common Use: Aristotle argues that private property is necessary for the best regime, but it should be made common in use to foster mutual help and unity.
• Affection and Ownership: People naturally have affection for what is their own, and this promotes both responsibility and generosity, which would be lost in a system of common ownership.
• The Importance of Virtue: Education, virtue, and proper laws are essential for ensuring that citizens share what they own and work for the common good.
• Critique of Socrates' Ideal: Aristotle criticizes Socrates’ vision of a completely unified city, arguing that this would eliminate important virtues and create conflict rather than unity.
• Happiness of Individuals: The happiness of a city is based on the happiness of individuals, and a city cannot be happy as a whole if its guardians, farmers, and artisans are not happy.