ABSTRACT
Aristotle makes the case often heard in contemporary politics that experience is fundamental to acquiring good knowledge about how to use politics to achieve the common good. This chapter discusses the role of experience in providing political leaders with the ability to govern well. In this discussion, the chapter emphasizes the impact on Aristotle of Plato’s Laws. Aristotle is influential in his understanding of the “polis” and the importance of community and friendship for its success. Aristotle also describes the obligations of citizenship, setting the stage for how we can judge constitutions as either “just” or “unjust.”
