Economics (Aristotle)
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Economics (Latin Oeconomica, Greek Οἰκονομικων) is a work that has been ascribed to Aristotle. It is usually attributed, by modern scholars, to a student of Aristotle, or to a student of his successor Theophrastus.
The title, though it connects to the modern term economics was originally derived from the Greek word oikos meaning household. The term referred to household management, with political economics having been a similar skill on a much larger scale and character. Because, as in Aristotle's Politics, it said in the first sentence of this work that politics does not naturally have one leader, while a household does.
The Economics consists of three short books.
The first book is influenced by the similarly named Oeconomicus of Xenophon, which was a Socratic dialogue concerning how to be a good gentleman farmer, and kaloskagathos.
The second book contains anecdotes and is a theoretical exploration of economic types (Royal, Provincial, Political and Private) as well as their methods for generating revenue. The second book also contains a number of examples supplementing the theoretical discussion.
The third book is only known from Latin versions, not Greek, and deals with the relationship between husband and wife.
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