Man is by Nature a Political Animal

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Table of Contents

Aristotle
The State
Man is by nature a political animal
Conclusion
References

Aristotle

Does Aristotle succeed in showing that the state is natural and that man is by nature a political animal? To comprehensively answer this question, it would be useful to acquire a concise over view of the subject in question.

Aristotle is described as the archetypal and quintessential theorist who played an integral role in the golden age of Greek philosophy. Aristotle was a philosopher, logistician, theorist and thinker. This description is incomplete as it paints the picture of an intellectual giant without regard to the human facet of his character. It is intimated that, in addition to being a philosopher of note, Aristotle was also an affectionate husband, a loving father to two children and a good friend to a great many people. (Anagnostopoulos, 2009)

It is logical to postulate that Aristotles treatises and dissertations were influenced to a certain extent by his early life and upbringing. Remarkably, despite his many achievements, there is no comprehensive biography that has been written about the life of Aristotle. However, according to Anagnostopoulos (2009), Aristotle was born in 384 BCE in a Greek village called Stagira.

He was the last of three children born to a father who was a physician and a mother who was said to be of aristocratic descent. Aristotle grew up in Pella where his father had been appointed to serve as the kings doctor. This upbringing may have influenced his view point, in his later writings; the philosopher would regularly express his dislike for kings and courts.

In the past, medicine was a profession that was handed down from father to son. Consequently, this fact is what equipped Aristotle with a scientific orientation. At the age of seventeen, Aristotle chose to leave Pella for Athens in an attempt to broaden the scope of his education. In Athens, the philosopher studied under the master, Plato. Their relationship was said to have been turbulent and marked with several disagreements. However, Aristotle learnt a lot from him and stayed in Athens with Plato until his death. (Sorabji, 1990)

In the years following the death of Plato, Aristotle quickly gained the reputation of being a leading thinker, philosopher and intellectual in the city of Athens.

This reputation prompted the philosopher to be appointed as the tutor for Alexander, a Macedonian prince. This prince grew up to become Alexander the great. In later years, after Alexander had become king, he embarked on the conquest of other areas in the region. Aristotle was opposed to this move and in reaction to this, he returned to Athens where he founded the Lyceum, a pioneer school of philosophy.

The theories that were advanced by Aristotle fundamentally changed virtually all disciplines that he dealt with. Estimates indicate that, Aristotle may have written in excess of 200 dissertations, unfortunately, of this number, only about 31 have survived to the present day.

According to Anton and Preus (1992), these dissertations, were not intended for public circulation as they are in the form of initial drafts for manuscripts and lecture notes. For this reason, the materials are not the best demonstration of the Aristotle refined prose style which was a hallmark of his writings. This refined prose style is the reason that has been cited as main attraction of many of Aristotles followers, the ranks of which included the Roman statesman, Cicero.

Aristotle is associated with many notable achievements. Among these is the fact that the philosopher was the first to catalog knowledge into a number of separate disciplines, for instance, botany, biology and metaphysics, a system that is still in use today. The philosopher has also been recognized through the ages as the undisputed pioneer in the study and application of the system of logic.

This school of thought contends that, it is possible to ascertain the validity of any given position or argument by examining its structure as opposed to its content. This logic, known as deductive reasoning, holds the view that, on condition that the premises of a particular argument are true, it follows that, the conclusion that is drawn, is bound to be true as well.

This type of logic was in use for thousands of years, until the advancement of other forms of logic, such as predicate and propositional logic. (Copleston, 2003) Aristotle was also credited with making significant contributions to the disciplines of metaphysics, mathematics, biology, ethics, medicine, biology and politics. It is a little known fact that Aristotle also made noteworthy contributions to the disciplines of poetry, theater and dance. (Ackrill, 1997)

Thousands of years later, Aristotles dissertations are still highly relevant to the modern world. Aristotle has been credited with a number of assertions; one of the most famous is his contention that man is a political animal and that the state is natural. The question is did the philosopher succeed in showing that the state is natural and that man is by nature a political animal?

The State

Aristotle body of work included a discourse about the concept of a state. The word state has its entomological root in the Latin language where is derived from the word; status, which was used to designate a particular condition or a particular type of status. The concept of the state system of government can be traced back to Ancient Greece. Ancient Greece was not a single state but was a number of small regions that were referred to as city states.

The Greek word for the city state was polis, this word was the root for the word politics that is widely in use in modern times. The ancient Greek city states such as Sparta, Athens and Thebes were the major urban centers and operated independently from the other city states. The concept of a state is also associated with the ancient Romans. The concept of the state in Rome was pioneered by Cicero who was a Roman constitutional framer, philosopher, political theorist, lawyer and statesman.

He was also a notable orator and a formidable essayist (Everitt, 2003) in those times, the phrase, status reipublicae was used in reference to the condition or nature of public matters. Gradually, the word ceased to have a relation to certain social groups and began to be used to the legitimate societal order and the mechanisms that were in use to ensure the enforcement of this stipulated order.

The popular adoption of the usage of the word state, as it is used n modern times can be attributed, to a certain extent to the writings of the Italian theorist, Nichollo Machiavelli. In his groundbreaking book, the prince, Machiavelli the usage of the word in several instances ensured its relatively widespread adoption.

The definition of what can be termed to be a state is a matter of endless controversy. At the moment, there is no consensus or agreement about what exactly constitute definition of the term.

Despite this, we can establish that the term describes a particular set of intertwined theories that are advanced to describe certain phenomena of a political nature. The lack of consensus in the question of definition is a result of the fact that varying definitions translate to varying theories about the functions of the state and consequently seem to authorize and certify varying political strategies.

However, of all the definitions that are currently in use, the most widely accepted is the definition that was proposed by the prominent sociologist, Max Weber. According to Weber, the term state is used in reference to a compulsory political association that is characterized by a centralized government that upholds control over the legal use of force in a given region (Oppenheimer, 1999).

There are many different types of states. The first of these is sovereign states. Sovereign states are states that exclusively uphold control over the legal use of force without being dependent on another state. In contrast, there are states that are dependent on other states. Other states have joined together with other states to form a federated union. In these states, the constitutional powers have been relegated to a federal authority (Ibid).

It is common practice for most people to use the terms state, nation and government interchangeably. This is a fundamentally flawed mindset. The government is distinguished by the fact that it is a specific group of people who are tasked with the responsibility of administration over a given geographical location. A government is also a term that is used in reference to the modes that a state power uses to achieve set out goals.

In essence, a government is a number of people who make decisions on behalf of members of the public. Governments are also charged with the responsibility of making laws and legislature for the public. Furthermore, the government has the exclusive right to arbitrate in cases of conflicts between members of the public. States are also a separate concept from nations which is a term that is used to describe a big geographical locality and the people who inhabit the region and consider that they share a distinct and separate identity.

This comprehensive definition of what the conceptualization of a state is mainly refers to the state as it exists in modern times. However, Aristotles dissertations on the state were written hundreds of years ago. Scholars propose that the philosophers early life and training must have had a significant effect on the way he perceived issues.

For instance, Aristotle had the benefit of traveling widely in areas such as Crete and the Island of Lesbos. (Booth, 1981) These extensive travels offered the philosopher the benefit of wide experiences that probably inspired in him his pro-democracy leanings and his in the monarchial system of government.

Aristotle writes a comprehensive discourse about the question of politics and in addition, he theorizes about the condition of the state. (Barnes et al, 1981) to the philosopher, a state can be conceptualized in terms of four diverse causes. The most important of these is the fact that the state exists as a community which is described as a society that is made up of a number of different parts each of which have a specific functions and which work together for the achievement of a certain goal.

Furthermore, according to Aristotle, the state is made up of citizens, in conjunction with natural resources. The philosopher also underscores the essential necessity of a constitution and a ruler in a state. Aristotle contends that a state is like every other community exists for the purposes of benefit or good for the society.

These illustrations serve to comprehensively address the question, does Aristotle succeed in showing that the state is natural? The answer to this conundrum is a resounding yes! Aristotle on his treatise on political theory express his in depth insight into the workings of the state mechanisms, indeed, the philosopher asserts that a state is a natural production. (Bookman, 1992) The philosophers view is still applicable to the current political dispensation despite the fact that the view was advanced centuries ago.

Man is by nature a political animal

This particular quote of Aristotle has been often quoted throughout history. This implies that the meaning of the phrase is transparently clear, however, this is not the case. The phrase though simple at face value is associated with a number of ambiguities that are yet to be resolved.

The phrase was originally advanced by the philosopher in a book that was one of the earliest zoological texts. In the book, Aristotle sets out a broad categories and distinctions between different animals based on their characteristics. He proposes that there animal that are gregarious and those that are solitary. In addition, he proposes that there are animals that are scattered and those that are political.

In the book, Aristotle concluded that the good life for human beings consisted in part, of philosophical contemplation that can be undertaken independent of other human beings. It also consisted of the application of social values which can only find expression in the company of other people. Drawing on this, Aristotle classifies human beings as gregarious and political, and thus the statement, man is a political animal.

Aristotles assertion that man is a political animal is an expression that man is a political being. This assertion is used in reference to the fact that human beings unlike any others, are best suited for pursuing a life in politics. This implies that the human psyche and mental capacity, more than any other is crafted for the purposes of political expression. A typical illustration of this is the fact that human beings have the innate capacity for the essential function of reasoned speech.

Moreover, Aristotle asserted that the human being is a political being because human beings are born with a desire to congregate together and effect changes in their lives and those of others, a desire that can only find expression in the practice of politics. In conclusion, Aristotles assertion that man is a political animal served to highlight the fact that, naturally, unlike any other, human beings are well suited to the practice of politics.

These illustrations conclusively affirm that Aristotle convincingly succeeds in showing us that man is a political animal. This assertion still holds true despite the fact that the philosopher advanced the view centuries ago.

Conclusion

The answer to the question, does Aristotle succeed in showing that the state is natural and that man is by nature a political animal? is a categorical yes! The illustrations given serve to assert the fact the philosophers views remain relevant and timely regardless of the fact that Aristotle made the contentions centuries in the past.

References

Ackrill, J. L. (1997) Essays on Plato and Aristotle. New York: Oxford University Press Inc.

Anagnostopoulos, G. (2009) A companion to Aristotle. UK: Blackwell Publishing Inc.

Anton, J. P & Preus, A. (1992) Essays in Ancient Greek Philosophy V: Aristotles Ontology Albany: State University of New York Press.

Barnes, J, Malcolm, S and Richard, S. Articles on Aristotle, Vol. 2: Ethics and Politics .London: Duckworth.

Bookman, J. T. (1992) The Wisdom of the Many : An Analysis of the Arguments of Books III and IV of Aristotles Politics, History of Political Thought, XIII.

Booth, W. J. (1981) Politics and the Household: A Commentary on Aristotles Politics, Book I, History of Political Thought, II.2. NY. Macmillan.

Copleston, F. C. (2003) A history of philosophy, Volume 1. NY: Continuum books Inc.

Everitt, A. (2003) Cicero: the life and times of Romes greatest politician. nd. Random House.

Oppenheimer, F. (1999) The state: its history and development viewed sociologically. NJ: Transaction Publishing Inc.

Sorabji, R. (1990) Aristotle transformed: the ancient commentators and their influence Cornell. nd. University Press.

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