Aristotle and the Discovery of Political Science.

Although Aristotle identified Socrates as the first political philosopher it is Aristotle himself who was the first to discover political science as an independent inquiry. In marked contrast to Plato's replication of Socratic dialectic Aristotle's political teaching no longer has the manner of an ascent, and this is manifest in the fact that whereas the Platonic political teaching appears in dialogue form, the Aristotelian political teaching appears in independent treatises addressed to gentlemen who are potential legislators or statesmen. Aristotle's political science provides a way to speak about politics in a manner that may guide existing cities and in the construction of the best possible city. In order to appreciate the significance of Aristotle's discovery of political science this article considers both Aristotle's critique of what he takes to be Plato's best regime, and the role of Aristotle's idea of the best regime in his political science. In so far as Aristotle's Politics establishes the terms for political discourse we may say that Aristotle's discovery of political science is a reflection of Aristotle's best regime, the regime of the philosopher-king. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]