Aristotle’s Politics

Oct. 18 - Given the many mentions of "habit" and "habituation" at our inaugural meeting last week (10/11/2026), we will review what Aristotle really means by "habituation" from Nicomachean Ethics I.4 1095b4; I.7 1098b4; II.1 1103a16–26, b3–4, b23–25, X.9 1179b21–25. What is a habit, and what is habituation? And is a virtue a habit or not? We need to level-set these terms before we can make progress on understanding the function of the city-state--before we can read Book I chapter 2.
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We are live-reading Aristotle's Politics, the treatise on the practical governance of the city-state for the sake of enabling and promoting its citizens individually to flourish.
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The prerequisite to this treatise is a familiarity with Aristotelian ethics—whether that be Nicomachean ethics, Eudemian Ethics, or Magna Moralia.
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The project's cloud drive is here, at which you'll find the reading texts, notes, and slideshows.