📘 TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Introduction
- Who is a Citizen? (Aristotle’s Definition)
- Citizenship and Participation
- Essential Qualifications of a Citizen
- Citizens vs. Non-Citizens
- Citizenship and Constitution
- Citizenship in the Ideal State
- Difference Between Good Man and Good Citizen
- Can Slaves, Women, and Laborers be Citizens?
- Aristotle vs. Modern Citizenship
- Criticisms of Aristotle’s Theory
- Modern Relevance (UPSC Touchpoints)
- Summary
1. INTRODUCTION
Citizenship was a central concept in Aristotle’s political philosophy.
He believed that the political community (polis) could survive only when its citizens:
- were active participants
- shared common institutions
- contributed to the common good
For Aristotle, citizenship is not a legal status, but a moral and political role.
2. WHO IS A CITIZEN? (ARISTOTLE’S DEFINITION)
Aristotle gives one of the earliest, most precise definitions of a citizen:
“He who has the power to take part in the deliberative and judicial administration of the state is a citizen.”
Thus, a citizen is someone who:
- participates in making laws (deliberative)
- participates in administration of justice (judicial)
- participates in governance (executive roles in the polis)
In short:
Citizen = One who rules and is ruled in turn.
Citizenship is active, not passive.
3. CITIZENSHIP AND PARTICIPATION
For Aristotle, participation is the essence of citizenship.
A true citizen:
- votes
- debates
- serves in assemblies
- holds public office
- participates in juries
- engages in public affairs
Thus citizenship is political, not merely residential.
4. ESSENTIAL QUALIFICATIONS OF A CITIZEN
Aristotle lists several attributes of ideal citizens:
- Capacity for Reason
- Capacity for Moral Judgement
- Ability to deliberate about the common good
- Commitment to the constitution
- Willingness to obey as well as rule
- Possession of leisure (scholé) to participate in public affairs
Hence, manual labourers (who had no leisure) were excluded.
5. CITIZENS VS. NON-CITIZENS
Aristotle makes a clear distinction:
| Citizen | Non-Citizen |
|---|---|
| Participates in politics | Does not participate |
| Has rights and duties | Only duties |
| Responsible for public life | Engaged mostly in private life |
| Morally educated | Not necessarily |
| Involved in deliberation & debate | No role in law-making |
6. CITIZENSHIP AND THE CONSTITUTION
Aristotle is the first thinker to link citizenship with the constitution.
He says:
“A citizen is defined by the constitution.”
This means:
- Under democracy → many citizens
- Under oligarchy → few citizens
- Under aristocracy → only virtuous citizens
- Under tyranny → almost no true citizens
Thus, citizenship changes if the constitution changes.
7. CITIZENSHIP IN THE IDEAL STATE
In Aristotle’s “best state,” citizens must be:
- virtuous
- free from economic hardship
- educated morally and intellectually
- fully involved in governance
The ideal citizen = ideal man, possessing high moral excellence.
Only those capable of virtue and public participation qualify.
8. DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GOOD MAN AND GOOD CITIZEN
Aristotle makes an important distinction:
| Good Citizen | Good Man |
|---|---|
| Obeys the constitution | Possesses perfect moral virtue |
| Adjusts to the needs of the state | Has universal ethical excellence |
| Can exist under any regime | Exists only in the ideal state |
Thus:
- Under a flawed constitution → good citizen ≠ good man
- Under the ideal state → good citizen = good man
This distinction is crucial in political philosophy.
9. CAN SLAVES, WOMEN, AND LABORERS BE CITIZENS?
Aristotle excludes:
1. Slaves
Because they lack reason (in his view) and cannot deliberate.
2. Women
Considered emotional and lacking authority in public affairs (reflecting Greek cultural bias).
3. Manual laborers
They lack the leisure required for political participation.
This exclusionary view is one of the most criticized aspects of Aristotle’s theory.
10. ARISTOTLE VS. MODERN CITIZENSHIP
| Feature | Aristotle | Modern World |
|---|---|---|
| Basis | Participation in governance | Legal membership of a nation |
| Inclusion | Limited (men with leisure) | Universal adult franchise |
| Women | Excluded | Included |
| Slaves | Excluded | Slavery abolished |
| Rights | Not central | Fundamental rights |
| Duty | Participation | Both rights and duties |
| Nature | Political & moral | Legal, political, social, economic |
Aristotle’s citizenship was active while modern citizenship is often passive.
11. CRITICISMS OF ARISTOTLE’S THEORY
- Exclusionary
Denial of citizenship to women, slaves, foreigners, and laborers. - Elitist
Only those with leisure could participate. - City-state model outdated
Works for small polis, not large nation-states. - Overemphasis on participation
Modern systems rely on representation, not constant participation. - Ethical idealism impractical
States cannot ensure moral perfection.
Despite these criticisms, his theory remains foundational.
12. MODERN RELEVANCE (UPSC ORIENTED)
Aristotle’s citizenship ideas influenced:
1. Civic republicanism
Emphasis on active participation.
2. Communitarianism
Community shapes individual identity.
3. Deliberative democracy
Role of reasoning and public debate.
4. Civic virtue
Citizens must act for the common good.
5. Modern political education
Training citizens for democratic values.
Thus, Aristotle is still relevant in ethics, governance, public administration, and civic theory.
13. SUMMARY (Student-Friendly)
- Aristotle defined a citizen as someone who participates in deliberative and judicial functions of the state.
- Citizenship is active, political, and moral, not merely legal.
- A citizen “rules and is ruled in turn.”
- Citizenship depends on the constitution.
- Only virtuous individuals qualify as ideal citizens.
- He distinguishes between a good citizen and a good man.
- His theory, though brilliant, is criticized for being elitist and exclusionary.
- His ideas still influence republicanism, civic virtue, and deliberative democracy.