The Riddle of the Middle: Questioning the Interpretation of the Mixed or Middle-Class Regime of Aristotle’s Politics

This paper challenges the argument of the middle-class regime as the embodiment of the mixed regime and is presented as the best regime in practice, or the best regime in most cities. Instead of an account of the best practical regime, that is, of a specific regime form, Aristotle gives one an account on how regimes can achieve moderation and harmony – that is stability through ensuring therole of the meso, the middle, which is between the wealthy and the poor. Aristotle, in his account of this middle and its superiority to either the wealthy and the poor, we navigate through the meaning of what the middle element truly is. So, instead of an account of a specific regime type, we get an account of what moderates and stabilizes regimes generally.