The Nature of Man as Political Animal Essay - 1723 Words

Not everyone will agree with Aristotles political theory, but it is essential to understand the principals that underline the new political theories. Aristotles politics is one of the most influential books of political philosophy. His main ideology consists in that a man is by nature a political animal because he can reason and communicate with others, therefore, has the potential to alter or change his living conditions for better because he can recognize the difference from right or wrong. Aristotle is proposing that a man with reason has to base his approach towards politics on the fundamental concept of good for human beings. However, based on the evaluation of modern politics, we can conclude that the idea of politics aiming at†¦show more content†¦Aristotle proposes that the city naturally results from the physical necessity, as the natural completion of small partnership of household and village. Aristotle points out in his ethics that man is naturally social so the refore he is naturally political. Humans have speech, which can be used to communicate their ideas about what is right or wrong as well as just and unjust. If the nature of man is not revealed then the man itself is an animal without any potential. Speech serves man as a weapon to protect himself from what is just or unjust. A man naturally belongs to the city because that is where he can exercise his sociability and can debate with others upon his virtue. Virtues are habits of the soul by which one acts well. Virtuous actions express correct, high reasoning, which are acquired through practice and habituation. The city is prior to the individual because the individual apart from the city is not self-sufficient and therefore he has to be something else rather than a human being. A man has potential to do good, but if he is not capable to use his virtue and is without any boundaries, he can be worse than any animal. In Aristotles point of view the city is self-sufficient because it contains all the necessities for humans to lead a good life. The city provides humans with partnership with others, which plays a big role in the sake of basic survival, but it exists for the well being of human kind. According to Aristotle if a personShow MoreRelatedCompare Aristotle’s Claim That Man Is a ‘Political Animal’ with Hobbe’s Claim That the State of Nature Is a State of War.1973 Words   |  8 PagesCompare Aristotle’s Claim that Man is a ‘Political Animal’ with Hobbe’s Claim that the State of Nature is a State of War. Noah Park Ever since the existence of a civilization, the fundamental question of how and why; to identify and explain the human’s nature and how man is ought to live, has been the key element in philosophical world. Many philosophers provided and made public of how they viewed this world as, and the human in it, and experimented themselves with their approaches, howeverRead MoreMan As A Political Animal1293 Words   |  6 PagesIn this paper, I would argue that by describing man as a political animal, Aristotle means human beings by nature are designed to live together in a community such as state(polis) for a common purpose and activity. I will first of all examine the original phrase â€Å"zoÃ… n politikon†, which is conventionally translated from old greek as a â€Å"political animal†. Having established what these words have meant at the time of writing, it would be most appropriate to see how Aristotle himself tries to explainRead MoreThe State Is The Pinnacle Of Civilization1600 Words   |  7 Pagesis one of many afforded to citizens of the state. There are many elements that make up the state laws being one of the many facets. Many would argue that the state is the pinnacle of civilization. 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