‘MAN IS, BY nature, a political animal’ – it’s his most frequently quoted apophthegm. It appears in Book I of the Politics. It is sometimes said to be Aristotle’s definition of our species, but it isn’t. If anything, his point is that we have quite a lot in common with some other animals. Aristotle’s politikē epistēmē – political science – is very sociobiological. Both sciences are rooted in animal behaviour; and both assume a strong view of human nature – that is, assume innate desires and capacities. Aristotle would agree with E. O. Wilson and Steven Pinker: humans are not born blank slates;
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