Aristotle on the Middle Constitution

Abstract

In the Politics IV 11 Aristotle raises the question of what is the best constitution for most states and most men. He argues that it is the middle constitution, which is based on the middle class, those between the rich and the poor. It is widely assumed among Aristotle's commentators that the middle constitution is the same as polity (πολιτεια). Johnson contends that the middle constitution is not polity but the ideal constitution of VII-VIII. Rejecting this interpretation, Miller replies that polity and the middle constitution are equivalent and that the middle constitution is the second-best constitution.
There are some difficulties in the views of both Johnson and Miller. I argue that the middle constitution is not a particular constitution, and is neither polity nor the ideal constitution of VII-VIII. The middle constitution seems to be middle between oligarchy and democracy, and argued only in the abstract as a standard by which to measure the goodness or badness of existing constitutions, most of which were then either oligarchies or democracies.