Faith Quote by Aristotle
![“Such [communistic] legislation may have a specious appearance of benevolence; men readily listen to it, and are easily induced to believe that in some wonderful manner everybody will become everybody's friend, especially when some one is heard denouncing the evils now existing in states, suits…” quote by Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/dcc/aristotle-78_faith_such-communistic-legislation-may-have-a_2492330.jpg)
““Such [communistic] legislation may have a specious appearance of benevolence; men readily listen to it, and are easily induced to believe that in some wonderful manner everybody will become everybody's friend, especially when some one is heard denouncing the evils now existing in states, suits about contracts, convictions for perjury, flatteries of rich men and the like, which are said to arise out of the possession of private property. These evils, however, are due to a very different cause - the wickedness of human nature. Indeed, we see that there is much more quarrelling among those who have all things in common, though there are not many of them when compared with the vast numbers who have private property.””
About This Quote
Source Treat: Politics, Book III, 4th century BC
The quote argues that communal ownership does not eliminate conflict because human nature is inherently selfish, and that private property is not the root cause of societal evils.
In simple terms: Human nature causes conflict more than property ownership.
Key Takeaway
Recognize innate selfishness when designing social systems.
Themes
politics
human nature
property
conflict
social organization
Mood
critical
analytical
Type
philosophical
critical
When to use this quote
- government reform
- community building
- legal systems
- economic policy
Key Concepts
philosophy
ethics
political theory
Questions to Reflect On
- How does selfishness manifest in modern institutions?
- Can private property be reformed to reduce conflict?
A Different Perspective
Assumes all societies have the same level of selfishness, ignoring cultural variations.
