The Political Animal :: essays research papers

Much time has been devoted to the study of how and whygovern handsts make up. This effort is required to understandAmericas political and philosophical roots. The ancient classical philosopher Aristotle pursued and ultimatelyanswered this question in his work, The Politics. Thoughwritten thousands of old age ago, the lessons taught about thenatural state of politics reveal the immensely multiformsystem of an organized civil political science in modern joinedStates. Perhaps one of the most profound thoughtsrevealed in The Politics concerns the fountain and nature ofbasic government, the cities. "Hence it is evident that a cityis a natural production, and that man is naturally a politicalanimal" (Aristotle 1253a). Aristotles subscriber line from The Politicsexemplifies two distinct but related points. The first rivestates that the formation of cities is natural and the seconddeals with the idea that man is by his decl are nature, a politicalbeing. At the beginning of Th e Politics, Aristotle says, "every city must(prenominal) be allowed to be the work of nature, if we admit thatthe original society amidst male and female is for to thisas their hold on all subordinate societies tend, and the end ofeverything is the nature of it"(1253b). Each city begins as acollection of partnerships. These associations are the Sugawara 2bonds that men create between apiece other as a result oftheir natural tendency to be social and interact, " in that location isthen in all persons a natural impetus to unite with eachother" (1253a). Partnerships are natural because man is not abandoned to be self-sufficient on his own merits. A mancannot exist merely for his own sake and expect to be a work member of the city but must be supplementedthrough the thoughts and ideas of other men. A man mustexperience interaction with others to more amply utter(a)his existence. This supplementation is the essence ofpartnerships because dealing with other men incr eases eachmans own wholeness. Furthermore, by listening to thethoughts and ideas of other men, he is furthering his ownproclivity, change him to be active in the city andtherefore, becoming a mankind being. It is only through thecity, however, that man can truly be complete because itreaches a level of full self-sufficiency. The collection ofpartnerships that comprise the city makes men intocomplete human beings and assists them on their way tohappiness, "the end and perfection of government firstfounded that we might live, but continued that we may livehappily"(1252b). This is a level of excellence for manbecause it means that he will not only survive but will thrive later on becoming fully human and therefore happy.