Both Aristotle and Hobbes
believe that in order to understand the state, one must study its
origins. Aristotle believes that the origin of the polis existed in
relationships, whereas Hobbes sees the individual as the building
block of political society.
Aristotle says that “all
associations come into being for the sake of some good”, and that
“the most sovereign and inclusive association is the political
association [polis].” He says that “...there must necessarily be
a pairing of those who cannot exist without one another... [and] a
union of the naturally ruling element with the element which is
naturally ruled, for the preservation of both.”
Aristotle says that
“just as some are by nature free, so others are by nature slaves,
and for these latter the condition of slavery is both beneficial and
just.” He says that people whom have forethought by the virtue of
intellect are naturally rulers, and that people whom have the bodily
power to do physical work are naturally ruled.
Hobbes believes that a
person's desire for self-preservation may become egoism, and this
causes individuals to seek protection from other individuals by
placing constraints upon their egoistic natures. He believes that
unbridled egoism prevents people from socializing with each other
because of their fear and lack of trust.
Although Aristotle
explains man and woman's biological necessity to each other, he is
not able to support the claim that a slave cannot exist without a
master in the same way man and woman depend on one another. He
assumes that slaves are unable to exercise forethought. Also, it
would seem that all people have the power to do physical work, and
Aristotle fails to explain whether a person whom has both power and
intellect deserves to rule or be ruled.
Hobbes' argument is more
plausible because he doesn't make birth-based generalizations about
rulers and the ruled; instead, he imagines the moment the rule of law
came into existence, and explains the necessity of the rule of law as
protection of the safety of individuals, and not strictly to keep
necessary relationships intact. The relationship of man and woman is
a social relationship that does not need political associations to
survive. After all, that relationship existed sustainably even before
the advent of the rule of law.
Written in April 2008 for a course on political theory,
edited in July 2014
No comments:
Post a Comment