Who owns the definition of "Man - a political animal"?

Ancient Greece is the cradle of philosophy, politics, sociology and other sciences, without which it is now difficult to imagine our world. In the fertile climate of Hellas, absolutely new ideas and concepts of the state, man, society were born ... And most of all we should thank for this the famous philosopher Aristotle, whose name along with Plato and Socrates is familiar to each of us. His achievements in the field of natural science, logic, rhetoric, philosophy, ethics can be spoken endlessly. He said that man is a political animal. To understand what Aristotle had in mind, it is worth going a little deeper into his teaching.

Aristotle: brief biography

"Man is a political animal ..." Aristotle, the author of this saying, lived and worked in the time of the greatest flowering of Greece, in 384-322. BC. E. He was born in Stagir, a small Greek colony near the Macedonian border. He spent most of his life in Athens, where he could take an active part in political life. Known also for being a teacher of Alexander the Great, for which later, when revolts broke out in Athens against the Macedonian authorities, he was convicted. He was a pupil of Plato, relations with which were not the same as both would like, but more on this later. Aristotle wrote more than 150 treatises and scientific works, including "Metaphysics", "Politics", "Rhetoric." Ideas of Aristotle at that time were the most advanced and innovative. However, they do not lose their relevance today.

The influence of Plato

Aristotle studied at the Academy of Plato and was really friendly with the teacher, except for mutual disputes of a different nature. Plato criticized the sumptuous style of Aristotle's clothing, his love of decorating and caring for himself, considering it unacceptable to the philosopher. Aristotle, being originally a Platonist, soon began to doubt some of the teachings of Plato. The main differences of their theories are concentrated on the concepts of the "ideal" state, the origin of the state, the role of power, the form of society and the function of the person in it. It is Aristotle who is credited with saying: "Plato is my friend, but truth is more precious." Only the metaphysical theories about the origin of spirit and matter the disciple took entirely from the teacher. Thus, one can consider the conflict and even the temporary dislike between Plato and Aristotle as a positive situation, because the main feature of the philosopher should be rational "suspicion", that is, asking questions, understanding and rethinking the already existing theories in search of truth. It was Plato who helped his best student to develop a completely different model of the state and man.

Who is Aristotle's man?

To understand what kind of person he defined as a political animal Aristotle in his treatise "Politics", it is necessary to determine whom Aristotle generally considered a person and who does not. In ancient cities-policies, including in Athens, ¾ of society were slaves who did not have any civil rights. It is worth noting that no Greek philosopher denied the necessity of slavery, considering slaves as people "naturally destined to subordinate". Apart from these, foreigners and artisans were also not considered citizens. Hence, Aristotle, speaking of the fact that man is a political animal, implied only participants in the jury and people's fees. A small remark: women also did not have full civil rights, but at the same time they were an important part of society.

Politics: the definition of Aristotle

Having analyzed the concept of "man", one can proceed to the definition of the words "politics", "political". The etymology of this word is Greek, and from the very beginning they described the art of governing the state. Politics comes from the word "policy", that is, a city in Ancient Greece with out-of-the-way agricultural territories, its own army and diplomatic relations. Accordingly, all the affairs of the city, meetings, voting, civic duties, that is all public - is politics. Family and private affairs are not included in this category. Aristotle distinguished three "correct" types of government: monarchy, aristocracy and politics (majority rule). Politia was an ideal solution for him, because it combined the wealth of the oligarchy, the virtues of the aristocracy and the freedom of democracy. The basis of such an "ideal" country should be the army (Cyprus and Sparta were for the theory of Aristotle necessary examples). That is, "political" in the winged phrase "a man is a political animal" means "public, virtuous, common, civil".

Why is man a political animal?

This phrase became popular in the Age of Enlightenment, when it was quoted in his letters by Charles Montesquieu - a famous French thinker and theorist of politics. Sometimes you can hear the Greek expression: zoon politikon. Summarizing all of the above, the phrase "man - a political animal" should be understood as follows: only by developing in a society of people, a person can be formed as a person. Being and being educated among people is a natural need of the individual. In the absence of society, a person can not learn the basic virtues necessary for the proper functioning of the state. And Aristotle placed the good of the state very highly in his hierarchy of values.

In our time, to call a person an animal is not very decent, but Aristotle as an ingenious naturalist understood that in every person there is a biological principle, and this is normal. And a person, following the rules of nature, should live in the "herd", without losing at the same time a sense of human (!) Dignity and a healthy mind.

The concept of the state

Speaking of the state, we have in mind the Greek policy, to which Aristotle (as, indeed, Plato) ascribed not only a protective function. The philosopher believed that the goal of the state is to guarantee a happy (fair, equal in financial terms) life for every citizen. The existence of laws and their observance ennoble man, and the state itself is nothing more than the communication of families, clans and villages.

Interesting Facts

• Aristotle's wife was Pifiada, a biologist and an embryologist (a rare occupation for women in ancient Greece). After the death of his wife, the philosopher began to live with his slave, and they had a son.
• Aristotle, after the death of his great teacher, opened his school - Lyceum.
• Alexander of Macedon as a gratitude for the knowledge he sent Aristotle works of art from the subordinate territories.
• It is believed that the philosopher was the first scholar. Among other things, he is the founder of meteorology and psychology.
• For the fact that European civilization now has access to the writings of Aristotle, it is necessary to thank the Arabs, who admired the philosopher's thoughts and diligently copied his works.

Importance for the future

The one who owns the definition of man as a political animal has done more to develop political thought than all philosophers and scholars of subsequent centuries. It was Aristotle who designated the place of man in society and his role, formulated the functions of the state, which are mandatory in most modern countries, and he has constructed a classification of methods of government - and this is all only in the field of political science! "The policy" of Aristotle is still studied by students at the university, he writes doctoral dissertations on his works, and his concepts were inspired by such great minds of the past as Tomas Aquinas, Marsilius of Padua and Dante Alighieri. Aristotle can be quoted without stopping, and we now know that it belongs to him the saying: "Man is a political animal." The author of many treatises and popular scientific works deserves the title of one of the wisest people in the history of mankind.