Aristotle, Politics

Table of Contents

Go to

[1338a][1] But leisure seems itself to contain pleasure and happiness and felicity of life. And this is not possessed by the busy but by the leisured; for the busy man busies himself for the sake of some end as not being in his possession, but happiness is an end achieved, which all men think is accompanied by pleasure and not by pain. But all men do not go on to define this pleasure in the same way, but according to their various natures and to their own characters, and the pleasure with which the best man thinks that happiness is conjoined is the best pleasure and the one arising from the noblest sources. So that it is clear that some subjects must be learnt and acquired merely with a view to the pleasure in their pursuit, and that these studies and these branches of learning are ends in themselves, while the forms of learning related to business are studied as necessary and as means to other things. Hence our predecessors included music in education not as a necessity (for there is nothing necessary about it), nor as useful (in the way in which reading and writing are useful for business and for household management and for acquiring learning and for many pursuits of civil life, while drawing also seems to be useful in making us better judges of the works of artists), nor yet again as we pursue gymnastics, [20] for the sake of health and strength (for we do not see either of these things produced as a result of music); it remains therefore that it is useful as a pastime in leisure, which is evidently the purpose for which people actually introduce it, for they rank it as a form of pastime that they think proper for free men. For this reason Homer wrote thus:

But him alone
'Tis meet to summon to the festal banquet¹ ;

Who call the bard that he may gladden all.²

The banqueters, seated in order due
Throughout the hall, may hear a minstrel sing.³

It is clear therefore that there is a form of education in which boys should be trained not because it is useful or necessary but as being liberal and noble; though whether there is one such subject of education or several, and what these are and how they are to be pursued, must be discussed later,⁴ but as it is we have made this much progress on the way, that we have some testimony even from the ancients, derived from the courses of education which they founded--for the point is proved by music. And it is also clear that some of the useful subjects as well ought to be studied by the young not only because of their utility, like the study of reading and writing, but also because they may lead on to many other branches of knowledge; and similarly they should study drawing not in order that they may not go wrong in their private purchases and may avoid being cheated in buying and selling furniture,

¹ This line is not in our Odyssey, but apparently followed Hom. Od.17.383. The passage runs (382 ff.):

tis gar dê xeinon kalei allothen autos epelthôn
allon g', ei mê tôn hoi dêmioergoi easi,
mantin ê iêtêra kakôn ê tektona dourôn,
ê kai thespin aoidon, ho ken terpêisin aeidôn;

² The fourth line quoted corresponds to this, but not exactly.

³ Hom. Od. 9.5-6.

⁴ This promise is not fulfilled.

This text is based on the following book(s):
Aristotle. Aristotle in 23 Volumes, Vol. 21, translated by H. Rackham. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1944.
OCLC: 29752140
ISBN: 0674992911

Buy a copy of this text (not necessarily the same edition) from Amazon.com.