Abstract
In this paper, I concentrate on some of the more peculiar, perhaps even polemical, features of
Aristotle’s discussions of Plato’s Republic in the second book of the Politics. These features
include Aristotle’s several rather sharp or ironic remarks about Socrates and his project in the
Republic, his use of rhetorical questions, or his tendency to bring out the most extreme
consequences of Socrates’s theory (such as that it will destroy the polis and that it will lead to
incestuous relationships). As I argue, some of these polemical features result from the special
character of Socrates’ theory that Aristotle criticizes whereas others are consciously aimed at
countering the attractive force of Socrates’s image of the ideal city, which can and does appeal to
readers over and above its theoretical, purely rational credentials.