The Articulation of Politics and Economy in Aristotle’s Thought: Divergences from Arendt’s Hermeneutics

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to examine the ways in which politics and economy are articulated in the Aristotelian view. To achieve this end, two thematic axes are developed. First, the relationship between oíkos and polis and, secondly, the relationship between economy and political regimes. One of the central features of this work is to show our differences with Arendt’s hermeneutic. Thus, our paper emphasizes the importance of the economic dimension within Aristotle’s political thought, even for thinking politics itself —an aspect that becomes clear in the constitution that Aristotle considered the best possible: the politeia.