Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Introduction
- PART I ARCHAIC AND CLASSICAL GREECE
- 1 Greek political thought: the historical context
- THE BEGINNINGS
- ARISTOTLE
- 15 Aristotle: an introduction
- 16 Naturalism
- 17 Justice and the polis
- 18 Aristotelian constitutions
- 19 The Peripatos after Aristotle
- PART II THE HELLENISTIC AND ROMAN WORLDS
- Epilogue
- Bibliographies
- Index
- Map 1. Greece in the fifth century bc"
- References
16 - Naturalism
from ARISTOTLE
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 28 March 2008
- Frontmatter
- Introduction
- PART I ARCHAIC AND CLASSICAL GREECE
- 1 Greek political thought: the historical context
- THE BEGINNINGS
- ARISTOTLE
- 15 Aristotle: an introduction
- 16 Naturalism
- 17 Justice and the polis
- 18 Aristotelian constitutions
- 19 The Peripatos after Aristotle
- PART II THE HELLENISTIC AND ROMAN WORLDS
- Epilogue
- Bibliographies
- Index
- Map 1. Greece in the fifth century bc"
- References
Summary
Aristotle’s Politics is distinguished by the place of honour it accords to the concept of nature. At the outset, the political relations of ruling and being ruled are among the things that develop naturally (cf. Pol. 1.2, 1252a24–6). In addition, the polis or city-state exists by nature and a human being is by nature a political animal (e.g. 1253a2–3). Most of Book I is concerned to show that the household is natural because its constituent relations – master/slave, husband/wife, parent/child – are natural. Again, in Book III the inquiry into political constitutions commences with the significant remark that one must first make a hypothesis about the end of the polis and about the kinds of rule found in human communities. Aristotle recalls his earlier argument that a human being is by nature a political animal (III.6, 1278b15–19), and he observes that some forms of political rule are natural, namely, those whereby the rulers seek the advantage of the ruled (cf. 1279a8–13). These characterize constitutions which are correct or just without qualification (1279a17–21). This lays the ground for his detailed classification and evalustion of political systems. Finally, in his account of the best constitution (Politics VII–VIII) he states that the lawgiver must follow nature in planning the education of the citizens (VII.17, 1337a1–3).
Unfortunately, Aristotle does not offer an explicit analysis in the Politics of his use of the term phusis or ‘nature’ and derivstive terms, so thst it is difficult to interpret and evsluste his version of political naturalism. However, in the Metaphysics and works devoted to natural science, especially Physics II, he analyses the concept of nature and develops distinctions which resurfsce in the Politics and the ethical treatises.
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- Information
- The Cambridge History of Greek and Roman Political Thought , pp. 321 - 343Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2000
References
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