ABSTRACT
Platonic Dialogues and critical comments on Plato's views on various themes of theoretical and practical interest are found in all the major works of Aristotle. It was an important part of his method of inquiry to review his predecessors' doctrines on a given subject in order to determine what had been said well and what possibly needed improvement. This chapter examines Aristotle's criticism of the Platonic perfect politeia, in order to determine the target at which he aims, his tactics of attacking it, and his reasons for doing it so vehemently. Specifically, according to Aristotle, members of a given city-state have three options regarding community and the sharing of the goods. They may have in common: all things; nothing at all; or only some things, but not others. Aristotle objects to Plato's proposal for radical political reform regarding the guardians' proposed "communal life", it is his critique, which deserves special attention and concerns.
