The Political Animal :: essays research papers

Much time has been devoted to the study of how and whygovernments exist. This effort is required to understandAmericas political and philosophical roots. The ancientGreek philosopher Aristotle pursue and ultimatelyanswered this question in his work, The Politics. Thoughwritten thousands of years ago, the lessons taught about thenatural state of politics reveal the immensely complexsystem of an organise civil government in modern UnitedStates. Perhaps one of the most profound thoughtsrevealed in The Politics concerns the origin and nature ofbasic government, the cities. " therefore it is evident that a cityis a natural production, and that man is naturally a politicalanimal" (Aristotle 1253a). Aristotles line from The Politicsexemplifies two distinct precisely related points. The first partstates that the formation of cities is natural and the seconddeals with the idea that man is by his proclaim nature, a politicalbeing. At the beginning of The Politics, Aristotle says, "every city must(prenominal) be allowed to be the work of nature, if we admit thatthe original society between male and female is for to thisas their end all chasten 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 distributively early(a) as a result oftheir natural tendency to be social and interact, "there isthen in all persons a natural impetus to associate with eachother" (1253a). Partnerships are natural because man is notinclined to be self-sufficient on his own merits. A mancannot exist merely for his own sake and expect to be afunctioning member of the city but must be supplementedthrough the thoughts and ideas of other men. A man mustexperience interaction with others to more fully completehis existence. This supplementation is the essence ofpartnerships because dealing with other men increases eachmans own wholeness. Fu rthermore, by listening to thethoughts and ideas of other men, he is furthering his ownproclivity, enabling him to be active in the city andtherefore, becoming a human being. It is only through thecity, however, that man can unfeignedly 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 nonsuch 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 pass on not only survive but will thriveafter becoming fully human and therefore happy.