2007 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
A Study of Aristotle's concept of "zoon politikon(political animal)
| Project/Area Number |
17520026
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
Philosophy/Ethics
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| Research Institution | Chuo University |
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Principal Investigator |
HAMAOKA Takeshi Chuo University, Faculty of Economics, Professor (80349216)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2005 – 2007
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| Keywords | Aristotle / political(social) Animal / Politics / History of Animals / ethics |
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| Research Abstract |
I attempted to analyze the structure of the argument in Aristotle's Politics, I.2, where he introduce an idea of a human being as " zoon politikon (political animal)" to show that a polls (city-state) exist by nature.
He describe how a polis comes to existence for the sake of good life through villages from households. He says that households are natural, but the statements must not be understood to show that human beings have an instinct to be able to form them, though human male and female are said to unite for breeding "not form choice" as well as other animals. The phrase "by nature", which appears very frequently in Politics I.2, is consistently used in teleological sense, and does not mean that human beings have an instinct to be fit for a polis.
The idea of a human being as "zoon politikon" may be considered to imply totalistic idea of relationship between a polls and citizens. It is true that Aristotle explains the relationship by example of the relationship between a whole body
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and its parts, which seems to suggest that citizens are regarded as completely subject to their polls. However, citizens do not live for the sake of a polis, but a polis exist for the sake of well-being of its citizens as a place where they can be self-sufficient and realize their human nature by participating in political decisions.
I attempted to clarify Aristotle's incomprehensible explanation of "zoon politikon" in his History of Animals, I. 1, where he says that of gregarious animals, as well as of solitary animals, some are politikon (social) and some live scattered and that human beings-which are thought of as being a social animal to a fuller extent in Polilitcs, I. as tending toward being both gregarious and solitary animals. The deliberative ability of humans, which is acquired through acquirement of language, enables a human being to have such various modes of life and even to lead a solitary life. The gift of speech make it possible for humans to have common idea of what is good or evil and just or unjust, and to maintain a reciprocal relationship between citizens, which make a city. Less
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Research Products
(10 results)
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[Presentation] ポリス的な正しさ2007
Author(s)
濱岡 剛
Organizer
古代哲学フォーラム
Place of Presentation
京大会館(京都)
Year and Date
2007-09-22
Description
「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
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