i just need clarifications
"what will not qualify someone for citizenship is not place or location, or the capacity to sue and be sued not birth, ancestry, or blood. Rather, a citizen is one who participates in ruling and judging one who rules and is ruled in turn”
2007-03-23 16:31:56 · 13 answers · asked by Anonymous in Politics & Government ➔ Civic Participation
i just got this quote from the internet, and it says something about citizenship. The one who said this was Aristotle
2007-03-23 16:38:43 · update #1
This is a really idiotic, stupid quote that does not make much sense. I'd trash the thing and find something else. This is a lot of lofty, bathering verbiage that tries to sound high and mighty but is nothing but senseless drivel.
2007-03-23 16:35:46 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 6⤋
One would need to remember that Aristotle lived about 2 or 3 thousand years ago in a place where there was a distinct class system.
Citizenship can be defined according to the nation one lives in. For instance, in an islamic republic, a citizen is required to serve Allah and the mullahs decide if you're worthy enough to keep living.
In a communist nation, a citizen is a vassal of the state and has no individual rights. The state decides your life for you.
In a democratic nation, a citizen is afforded certain rights according to a constitution with responsibilities. some nations, like the USA, have the right to legal redress of government abuses as well as the right to amend the Constitution to improve the lives of all citizens.
The answer to your question, therefore, is that citizenship is determined by your birth or the acceptance or rejection of a citizenship application.
2007-03-27 15:18:29 · answer #2 · answered by crusty old fart 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Aristotle is basically saying that a citizen is someone who actively engages in ruling and judging those who are in control. This is based on the Ancient Greeks' approach to Democracy, where it was the general consensus of the people as a whole that controlled the ruling bodies of the time.
You can be considered a citizen of a country based on your place of birth, or your ancestry, but Aristotle is philosophizing that those things do not matter if you do not actively engage in the democratic process that governs society.
2007-03-27 15:42:54 · answer #3 · answered by Valkanas 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Quoting Aristotle is a bit like interpreting the bible - difficult to translate into English. So, why do we have national borders and restrict people according to where they happened to be born? If we have instant communication and rapid movement between countries, why can't people just be world citizens? The answer lies in those who have unmerited power and want to keep it at all costs. The answer also lies in our inability to analyze what is going on in society and to vote with intelligence and an eye to the future.
2007-03-27 16:54:01 · answer #4 · answered by jean c 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
What Aristotle was saying here is essentially this: one is not a citizen because the government says he is. Rather, one is a citizen because he takes an active participation in the government, and does not let it rule tyrannically over him. In doing so, he subjects himself to the system which he and every other "citizen" support. The safe feeling that he has in his community comes because he works dilligently to make his community safe.
I hope that clarifies it for you.
2007-03-25 00:30:09 · answer #5 · answered by Alex 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
These people who are calling this quote by Aristotle stupid, is akin to William Hung criticizing the singing of Enrico Caruso. Absolutely unbelievable! With that out of the way, what the philosopher is essentially saying, is that to be a true citizen, one must participate in their nation's political system; either as a government official, or as a voter.
2007-03-23 23:48:09 · answer #6 · answered by DAKal 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Aristotle was a student of socrate and platon so to really understand what it meant just try this as one of the many examples:
citizenship means having rights and duties toward your country
one of these duties is to vote therefore voting makes you a good citizen.
2007-03-27 18:33:13 · answer #7 · answered by justine e 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In order to be considered a "citizen" I would think that meant you have investment in that society and would want a say in the "ruler" and what they stood for. If you didn't care about your country, why would you care what the person running it was doing ie participating in ruling and judging one who rules you.
2007-03-27 17:40:09 · answer #8 · answered by Loretta B 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Aristotle was a philosopher and usually these folks just dance around in an imaginary world.
To be a citizen requires participation; it is not a god-given right.
2007-03-24 01:23:00 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
ahhhhh....something tells me....you still ain't got it right.
2007-03-23 23:37:45 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 2⤋