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, completely new ideas and concepts of the state, man, society were born … And to the greatest extent we must thank the famous philosopher Aristotle for this, whose name, along with Plato and Socrates, is familiar to each of us. One can talk endlessly about his achievements in the field of natural science, logic, rhetoric, philosophy, and ethics. It was he who said that man is a political animal. To understand what Aristotle meant, it is worth delving a little into his teachings.
Aristotle: Brief Biography
"Man is a political animal…" Aristotle, the author of this saying, lived and worked during the time of the greatest prosperity of Greece, in 384-322. BC e. Born in Stagira, a small Greek colony near the Macedonian border. He spent most of his life in Athens, where he could actively participate in political life. He is also known for being the teacher of Alexander the Great, for which later, when uprisings broke out in Athens against the Macedonian authorities, he wasconvicted.
He was a student of Plato, relations with whom did not develop as both would like, but more on that later. Aristotle wrote more than 150 treatises and scientific works, including "Metaphysics", "Politics", "Rhetoric". The ideas of Aristotle at that time turned out to be the most advanced and innovative. However, they do not lose their relevance today.
Influence of Plato
Aristotle studied at the Academy of Plato and really was friendly with the teacher, except for mutual disputes of different natures. Plato criticized Aristotle's puffy dress style, his love of jewelry and personal care, considering it unacceptable for a philosopher. Aristotle, being originally a Platonist, soon began to doubt some of the teachings of Plato. The main differences of their theories are focused on the concepts of the "ideal" state, the origin of the state, the role of power, the form of society and the function of man in it. It is Aristotle who is credited with saying: "Plato is my friend, but the truth is dearer." Only the metaphysical theories about the origin of spirit and matter were accepted entirely by the student from the teacher. Thus, one can consider the conflict and even temporary hostility between Plato and Aristotle as a positive situation, because the main feature of a philosopher should be rational “suspicion”, that is, asking questions, understanding and rethinking 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 Aristotle defined as a political animal in his treatise "Politics", it is worth determining who Aristotle generally considered a person and who not. In the ancient city-states, including Athens, ¾ of the society were slaves who did not have any civil rights. It is worth noting that not a single Greek philosopher denied the need for slavery, considering slaves to be people "naturally destined for submission." In addition to them, foreigners and artisans were also not considered citizens. This means that Aristotle, speaking about the fact that a person is a political animal, meant only participants in the trial by jury and popular gatherings. A small note: women also did not have full civil rights, but at the same time they were an important part of society.
Politics: Aristotle's definition
Having analyzed the concept of "human", we can begin to define the words "politics", "political". The etymology of this word is Greek, and originally they described the art of government. Politics comes from the word "polis", that is, a city in Ancient Greece with surrounding agricultural territories, its own army and diplomatic relations. Accordingly, all the affairs of the city, meetings, voting, civic obligations, that is, everything public is politics. Family and private matters are not included in this category. Aristotle distinguished three "correct" types of managementstate: monarchy, aristocracy and polity (majority rule). Politia was the ideal solution for him, because it combined the we alth 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 necessary examples for Aristotle's theory). That is, “political” in the catchphrase “man is a political animal” means “social, virtuous, general, civil.”
Why is man a political animal?
This phrase became popular during the Enlightenment, when Charles Montesquieu, a famous French thinker and political theorist, quoted it in his letters. Sometimes you can hear the actual Greek expression: zoon politikon. Summarizing all of the above, the phrase “man is a political animal” should be understood as follows: only by developing in a society of people can a person form as a person. Being and being brought up among people is a natural need of the individual. In the absence of society, a person cannot learn the basic virtues necessary for the proper functioning of the state. And Aristotle placed the good of the state very high in his hierarchy of values.
In our time, calling a person an animal is not very decent, but Aristotle, as a brilliant naturalist, understood that every person has a biological principle, and this is normal. And a person, following the rules of nature, must live in a “herd”, without losing a sense of human (!) Dignity andhe althy mind.
State concept
Speaking of the state, we mean the Greek policy, to which Aristotle (as well as Plato) attributed not only a protective function. The philosopher believed that the goal of the state is to guarantee a happy (fair, equal financially) life to every citizen. The presence of laws and their observance ennoble a person, and the state itself is nothing more than communication between families, clans and villages.
Interesting facts
- Aristotle's wife was Pythiades, a biologist and 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 own school - the Lyceum.
- Alexander the Great sent works of art from his subordinate territories to Aristotle as a gratitude for his knowledge.
- It is believed that the philosopher was the first erudite. 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, we must thank the Arabs, who admired the thoughts of the philosopher and diligently rewrote his works.
Meaning for the future
The one who owns the definition of man as a political animal has done more for the development of political thought than all the philosophers and scientists of subsequent centuries. It was Aristotleoutlined the place of a person in society and his role, formulated the functions of the state, which are mandatory in most modern countries, and built a classification of methods of government - and all this is only in the field of political science! Aristotle's "politics" is still studied by students at the university, doctoral dissertations are written on his works, and such great minds of the past as Thomas Aquinas, Marsilius of Padua and Dante Alighieri were inspired by his concepts. Aristotle can be quoted without stopping, and we now know that it is he who owns the saying: "Man is a political animal." The author of many treatises and popular science works deserves the title of one of the wisest people in the history of mankind.
