Elements of Biology in Aristotle’s Political Science

Abstract

ELENA CAGNOLI FIECCONI 1 Elements of biology in Aristotle's political science Aristotle's political science studies the human good. This includes the good for individuals and the good for the community, which is greater, more complete and more divine (EN 1.2.1094a27-1094b11). Thus, while we tend to treat ethics and politics as separate disciplines with some points of common interest, Aristotle treats them as the same discipline (Schofield 2006). A paradigmatic example of this aspect of Aristotle's thought is his study of virtues of character like generosity or temperance. Studying the virtues is obviously important to understand individual moral excellence and happiness. However, the virtues are also interesting for political scientists who focus on the good for the community, because their main aim is to make the citizens virtuous (EN 1.13.1102a5-10).Political science (epistêmê) is not the only discipline that concerns itself with the virtues.From the perspective of a contemporary reader, Aristotle is peculiar because he studies ethically relevant phenomena like the virtues in his biological treatises. The History of Animals 8-9 (esp. 9) catalogues character traits like mildness and courage in different non-human animal species. At EN 6.13.1144b1-16, these are "natural virtues", they are shared between non-human animals and human children and they are the source of fully blown virtues in human adults. 2 Related passages of the Parts of Animals discuss the physiological basis of these virtues and connect it to the constitution of the animal's blood (PA 2.2.648a9-11; PA 2.4.650b20-651a2; PA 2.4.651a12-14; PA 4.10.686b25-27).The case of the virtues is not isolated: there are many instances of overlap between topics in Aristotle's biology and political science. These include the natural sociability of human beings (Pol. 1.2.1252b28-33) and the controversial idea that humans have a function or characteristic activity (ergon, EN 1.7).Political science and biology clearly are not the same discipline. Political science is practical and aims at guiding action, biology and natural science in general aim at discovering the 3