Aristotle’s Politics

Aristotle claims that we are “political by nature,” and powerfully incline to join communities. Those who have no use for such a community deny what they are meant for. But what does that mean for individualism? Is there really a desire for political life in us? Can we ever really “be ourselves,” or as we always bound down by the community we live in?

Aristotle insists that human beings are always inclined to community. Yet he is very specific about what kind of community it is: political. In other words, while we might come together for safety, prosperity, and companionship, those things are not the the point: we form communities for the sake of seeking the highest good, or happiness, both for ourselves and for everyone else. So what exactly is the difference between being merely “social” and being “political”? Or are they different? Is being political nothing more than acting like a herd of sheep? Or how is it different according to him?