Aristotle
says 'man is a political animal'. What sort of ideal person does that suggest?
In
the opening of the text, Aristotle writes that “every city-state is a community…established
for the sake of some good (for everyone performs every action for the sake of
what he takes to be good)” (I.i.1-3). The ideal person from this description of
a city-state be be understood to be an individual who knows how to contribute
to a society with political order in the most productive way he or she can, for
the benefit of the community, because the good life in characteristically
social. The belief that man is a political animal manifests into Aristotle’s discussion
of the natural roles each individual must assume in a society, how individuals should
interact with each other, and what purpose they both serve. He describes the
man-wife, man-child, man slave, and man-city relationships. He also believes
that friendship between a constitutional governing body (politeia) and the citizens is crucial to a good life, because the
government must reflect the interests of its people.
No comments:
Post a Comment