To investigate the best regime it is necessary to first investigate the best way of life. Virtue is more important for a good life than external things. The soul is more honorable than the body and possessions, because these things are for the sake of the soul, not vice versa.
Happiness is the result of living according to virtue.
Therefore the best way of life both for individuals and for cities is a life of virtue. Now we need to investigate which is the most choiceworthy way of life and which regime is the best. The best regime is the one in which a person can act in the best manner and live most happily. There is a dispute between those who assert that the political or active life is the most choiceworthy and those who assert that the philosophic way of life is the best. Chapter 3 Those who dislike the political way of life because it involves ruling make the mistake of equating every type of rule with mastery, while political rule is noble because it is rule over free persons.