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Full Idea
The best defining mark of a city is the greatest excess of multitude with a view to self-sufficiency in living that can easily be surveyed as a whole. Let the size of the city, then, be determined in this way.
Gist of Idea
The size of a city is decided by the maximum self-sufficient community that can be surveyed
Source
Aristotle (Politics [c.332 BCE], 1326b23)
Book Ref
Aristotle: 'Politics', ed/tr. Reeve,C.D.C. [Hackett 2017], p.165
A Reaction
Modern states have presumably far exceeded to self-sufficiency test. The requirement to be 'surveyed' presumably implies that the state can be controlled. Modern technology means almost no limit to such a size.
| 22581 | The size of a city is decided by the maximum self-sufficient community that can be surveyed [Aristotle] |
| 19993 | In small republics citizens identify with the public good, and abuses are fewer [Montesquieu] |
| 19992 | In a large republic there is too much wealth for individuals to manage it [Montesquieu] |
| 19814 | A state must be big enough to preserve itself, but small enough to be governable [Rousseau] |
| 19815 | Too much land is a struggle, producing defensive war; too little makes dependence, and offensive war [Rousseau] |
| 19822 | If the state enlarges, the creators of the general will become less individually powerful [Rousseau] |
| 19823 | If the population is larger, the government needs to be more powerful [Rousseau] |
| 22679 | Vast empires are bad for well-being and freedom, though they may promote glory [Tocqueville] |
| 22680 | People would be much happier and freer in small nations [Tocqueville] |
| 23156 | The economic and political advantages of great size seem to have no upper limit [Russell] |