That judges of important causes should hold office for life is a disputable thing, for the mind grows old as well as the body.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Aristotle questions lifelong judicial roles by noting that mental faculties decline alongside physical health.
- In plain terms
- Mental aging makes lifelong judgeships questionable.
- What can you take from it?
- Judges may need term limits due to cognitive decline.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Should experience outweigh the risk of decline?
- How do we measure mental fitness?
Another view
It ignores that experience can sometimes offset age-related decline.
More from Aristotle
Even when laws have been written down, they ought not always to remain unaltered.
Permalink to quote #20 They should rule who are able to rule best.
Permalink to quote #22 Again, men in general desire the good, and not merely what their fathers had.
Permalink to quote #19
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