Human Nature In Aristotle And Aristotle: The Nature Of Nature

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The nature of humanity has been an inalienable component of establishing significant classical theories by political scientists in the history of politics. Even Aristotle, widely regarded as a crucial contributor to forging politics as an area of elevated study knew this, and stated, “… it is evident that the state is a creation of nature, and that man is by nature a political animal. ” In this statement, Aristotle adamantly asserts that the state is the production of human nature, as humans are inclined to create the state according to their hereditary political nature. Thus, it is evidential that human nature has a key role in shaping the state under which they choose to be governed. The works of political theorists, therefore, cannot avoid …show more content…

It is only when these three components of a soul are effectively in equal balance is the soul perfect; this is the same soul a philosopher, a Gold soul, worthy of becoming a Guardian, will have. The three parts of the soul will work in harmony, “as if they were literally the three defining notes of an octave ”. Then it comes naturally that the opposite of a good soul, an evil one, will be the one which is heavily unbalanced where the components of the soul, according to Plato, are “meddling and interfering with each other’s jobs ”. The perfect soul, the balanced one, will exhibit all the virtues of humanity, where its counterpart will exhibit all the vices. Thus, Plato implies that the just society should strive towards establishing and maintaining the balance of the egos, thumos, and logos; in similarity, the different sorts of soul, the Gold, Silver, and Bronze, should seek to be in a balance as well. Hence, it is further exposed that the features of human nature, or at least the ideal soul that Plato sees as a goal that all souls should aim towards, deal a heavy hand in shaping the ideology and organization of the Platonian state. Plato’s deep faith in the innate natures of human beings continue to involve itself greatly with how Plato selects his state’s ruler, and how the state will value …show more content…

They are temperate and have no desire for power, a characteristic which Plato argues makes them a good ruler as he says, “A city in which those who are going to rule are least eager to rule is necessarily the best and freest from faction. ” The philosopher, uneager to rule, is least likely to be biased and tyrannical. In Plato’s Noble Lie: From Kallipolis to Magnesia, David Lay Williams excellently puts the reason why Plato deemed the philosopher the perfect ruler: “In the Republic, Plato had assumed that whatever failings were endemic to the vast majority of citizens, true Philosophers were immune. They stood above human nature, so to speak, in the realm of Being — more oracular than human. ” As such, as a true philosophic soul, the Philosopher-King is able to take glimpses of the Forms, or Plato’s definition of true knowledge. They stood beyond the limits of a typical political being- regular citizens were trapped inside a dark cave, watching false truths performed by shadows produced through an artificial flame on the cave wall, whereas they could step outside the cave and look at the Sun, which was an analogy to the ultimate truth or Forms. This ability gave them with the burden of ruling Plato’s realm, and also with the responsibility to provide an imprint for other souls to mimic. In Plato’s Republic, the philosophic ruler

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