The Metaphysical Establishment of the Political: Aristotle and Spinoza

Sućeska, Alen. (2010). The Metaphysical Establishment of the Political: Aristotle and Spinoza. Čemu : časopis studenata filozofije, IX(18/19). pp. 206-229.

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Abstract

This work attempts to bring together the key points of Aristotle’s and Spinoza’s philosophy of politics in order to demonstrate a specific entrenchment of politics in the nature, by the fact that politics is a natural way of life in a community, among other people. Politics is insofar not only a natural occurrence, but also a condition of a truly human life: outside of political conditions it is impossible to act, it is merely possible to live in the form of biological regeneration, which not only means that there can be no morality outside of political conditions (because morality is a product of human world and therefore only applicable to that world) but also that self-realization is impossible since one can only bring his essence from possibility into reality by action. Since self-realization becomes more certain as the individual enjoys greater freedom, it is noted that for a man ‘living in freedom’ entails both individual freedom (freedom from) and political freedom (freedom to). By creating such circumstances which can be called life in freedom, politics enables the life of rationality – life of thought and cognition – which is, both according to Aristotle and Spinoza, the highest form of human life.

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