在咖啡館遇見亞里士多德（簡體書）

man can ever be found，absolute monarchy is，in point of hard political fact，athoroughly vicious form of government.Philip was absolute monarch in Macedonia：if hed read my Politics,would he have said“Ah.theres a good friend of my government”?As for Alexander，look at the Politics again.I claim for reasons I wont bother you with-that the very notion of a political empire is an absurdity.Alexanders empire covered the whole of Greece and vast tracts ofAsia.I’ve never spoken in support of it-Ive denounced it.If thats being pro.Macedonian.what doyou have to do to be anti?
My views on monarchy and empire are obvious enough，and I don’t claim anyparticular credit for setting them out.I dont cla.im any particular courage either-incase you suspect me of virtues as well as vices that I dont possess.Neither Philipnor Alexander were great readers，and in any case if theyd read my Politics theywouldn’t have cared a jot.Oh，Philip might have guffawed，and Alexander mighthave stamped his elegant little foot.But cared? Why should they have cared?Words，words，words-they mean nothing in the courts of the mighty.But you were not just a man of words.You once said that"man is by nature apolitical animal."Didnt you follow your human nature and take an active part inpaliticnl life?
The aphorisms mine-though people tend to forget a better one：“Man is more givento copulation than to politics.”(Never take aphorisms literally-not even that one.)
But no，I’ve never engaged in political activities.