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Aristotle's Political Theory: Metaphysics and Physics Meet Ethics and Politics (Aristoteles'in Siyaset Teorisi: Metafizik ve Fizik Ahlak ve Siyasetle Buluşuyor)

Year 2022, Volume: 27 Issue: 52, 1 - 26, 27.08.2022

Abstract

Aristoteles’in siyaset teorisi modern siyaset tasavvurunun en büyük “ötekisi”dir. Zira, modern siyasal anlayışın mekanizmacılığının aksine Aristoteles’in yaklaşımı modern-öncesi dönemin organizmacılığının en çok kabul gören örneğidir. Tarihsel açıdan da modern siyaset tasavvuru Aristotelesçi algının reddi üzerine inşa edilmiştir. Bu bakımdan Aristoteles’in siyaset teorisini hakkıyla anlamak, bu bağlamda da onu felsefî bileşenlerine ve önkabullerine ayrıştırmak sadece modern siyaset tasavvurunun daha iyi anlaşılmasını sağlamayacak, aynı zamanda onun bir alternatifini de gözler önüne serecektir. Aristoteles kelimenin tam anlamıyla bir sistem filozofudur. Yani Aristoteles’in düşüncesi bu dünya ve insanla ilgili hemen herşeyi kuşatmakla kalmaz, aynı zamanda sisteminin bütün parçaları hem birbirine bağlı hem de tamamlayıcı bir özelliğe sahiptir. Aristoteles sisteminin bu güçlü iç entegrasyonunu belli başlı kavramlar ve terimler aracılığıyla kurar. Bunların başında ise metafiziğinden siyasetine, fiziğinden etiğine tüm düşüncesini yatay kesen “tabiat/physis” kavramı gelmektedir. Benzer şekilde sisteminin her unsuruna sirayet etmiş olan diğer terimler (öz, gaye, bilkuvve, bilfiil, entelekya, iyi, mutluluk vs.) ancak tabiat kavramının oluşturduğu bir zeminde anlam kazanırlar. Aristoteles’in siyaset teorisini sisteminin diğer unsurlarına, özellikle de metafiziğine bağlayan ana unsur da yine “tabiat” kavramı olmuştur. Aristoteles’in meşhur “insan tabiatı itibariyle sosyal-siyasaldır” ifadesi bu açıdan kritik bir önemi haizdir. Hem Doğu’da hem de Batı’da genelde bu ifadedeki insanın “sosyalliği ve siyasallığı” öne çıkarılmışken, “tabiat” kavramı genelde ihmal edilegelmiştir. Halbuki, Aristoteles’in siyaset teorisini emsallerinden, özellikle de ana-akım modern siyaset tasavvurundan ayıran temel unsurlar (organizmacılık, teleoloji ve ahlakilik) ancak “tabiat” üzerinden anlaşılabilir. Bu yaklaşımla, makalemizde Aristoteles’in siyaseti ve etiği ile metafiziği ve fiziği arasındaki kurucu ilişki “tabiat” kavramı üzerinden deşifre edilmeye çalışılacaktır.
Abstract: Aristotle's political theory is the major other of modern political imagination. Unlike the mechanicism of modern political consciousness, Aristotle’s apporach exemplifies the typical organicist understanding of the pre-modern era. In this respect, it is of great importance to separate Aristotle's political theory into its logical and conceptual components both in order to better understand the modern political conception and to see its traditional alternative. Aristotle is a system philosopher, that is, he has not only developed a philosophy that encompasses almost every area of human life, but at the same time, all parts of his philosophical system are built to complement each other. As a matter of fact, it is interesting to see that some concepts cut Aristotle's philosophy horizontally and diffuse into almost all of its subfields. The most significant of these concepts is “nature” or “physis.” From Aristotle's metaphysics and physics to ethics and politics, nature has given Aristotle's thought both an uninterrupted continuity and a strong logical consistency. The most fundamental and defining aspect of Aristotle’s political theory is reflected in his famous assertion that “man is by nature a political animal.” Although contemporary readings on Aristotle's politics generally emphasize "sociality and politicalness" in this expression, in my opinion, the more important element here and the hallmark of his political theory is "naturalness." Thus, in this article, building on the concept of nature we will try to uncover the relationship between Aristotle's metaphysics, physics, politics and ethics.

References

  • Aristotle. “Metaphysics.” The Great Books of the Western World, VIII. Chicago: Encyclopedia Britannica, 1982.
  • Aristotle. “Nicomachean Ethics.” The Great Books of the Western World, IX. Chicago: Encyclopedia Britannica, 1982.
  • Aristotle. “On the Generation of Animals.” The Great Books of the Western World, IX. Chicago: Encyclopedia Britannica, 1982.
  • Aristotle. “On the Heavens.” The Great Books of the Western World, VIII. Chicago: Encyclopedia Britannica, 1982.
  • Aristotle. “On the Parts of Animals.” The Great Books of the Western World, IX. Chicago: Encyclopedia Britannica, 1982.
  • Aristotle. “On the Soul.” The Great Books of the Western World, VIII. Chicago: Encyclopedia Britannica, 1982.
  • Aristotle. “Physics.” The Great Books of the Western World, VIII. Chicago: Encyclopedia Britannica, 1982.
  • Aristotle. Politics, translated by Benjamin Jowett. New York: Random House, 1943.
  • Barker, Ernest. The Political Thought of Plato and Aristotle. New York: Dover Publications, 1959.
  • Cohen, S. Marc. “Aristotle’s Metaphysics” The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/aristotle-metaphysics/, (accessed February 17, 2022).
  • Collingwood, R. G. The Idea of Nature. New York: Oxford University Press, 1981.
  • Gadamer, Hans George. Truth and Method, Second Revised Edition, translated and revised by J. Weinsheimer and D. G. Marshall. London: Continuum, 2006.
  • Lerner, Max. Introduction to Aristotle’s Politics, translated by Benjamin Jowett. New York: Random House, 1943.
  • Logan, J. D. “The Aristotelian Concept of Physis.” The Philosophical Review, Vol. 6, No. 1 (Jan., 1897): 18-42.
  • MacIntyre, Alasdair. Ethics and Politics: Selected Essays. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006.
  • MacIntyre, Alesdair. After Virtue. Indiana: University of Notre Dame Press, 1981.
  • Salkever, Stephen G. “Aristotle’s Social Science.” Political Theory, Vol. 9, No. 4 (1981): 479-508.
  • Strauss, Leo. What is Political Philosophy. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1988.
  • Yack, Bernard. The Problems of A Political Animal. Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1993.
Year 2022, Volume: 27 Issue: 52, 1 - 26, 27.08.2022

Abstract

References

  • Aristotle. “Metaphysics.” The Great Books of the Western World, VIII. Chicago: Encyclopedia Britannica, 1982.
  • Aristotle. “Nicomachean Ethics.” The Great Books of the Western World, IX. Chicago: Encyclopedia Britannica, 1982.
  • Aristotle. “On the Generation of Animals.” The Great Books of the Western World, IX. Chicago: Encyclopedia Britannica, 1982.
  • Aristotle. “On the Heavens.” The Great Books of the Western World, VIII. Chicago: Encyclopedia Britannica, 1982.
  • Aristotle. “On the Parts of Animals.” The Great Books of the Western World, IX. Chicago: Encyclopedia Britannica, 1982.
  • Aristotle. “On the Soul.” The Great Books of the Western World, VIII. Chicago: Encyclopedia Britannica, 1982.
  • Aristotle. “Physics.” The Great Books of the Western World, VIII. Chicago: Encyclopedia Britannica, 1982.
  • Aristotle. Politics, translated by Benjamin Jowett. New York: Random House, 1943.
  • Barker, Ernest. The Political Thought of Plato and Aristotle. New York: Dover Publications, 1959.
  • Cohen, S. Marc. “Aristotle’s Metaphysics” The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/aristotle-metaphysics/, (accessed February 17, 2022).
  • Collingwood, R. G. The Idea of Nature. New York: Oxford University Press, 1981.
  • Gadamer, Hans George. Truth and Method, Second Revised Edition, translated and revised by J. Weinsheimer and D. G. Marshall. London: Continuum, 2006.
  • Lerner, Max. Introduction to Aristotle’s Politics, translated by Benjamin Jowett. New York: Random House, 1943.
  • Logan, J. D. “The Aristotelian Concept of Physis.” The Philosophical Review, Vol. 6, No. 1 (Jan., 1897): 18-42.
  • MacIntyre, Alasdair. Ethics and Politics: Selected Essays. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006.
  • MacIntyre, Alesdair. After Virtue. Indiana: University of Notre Dame Press, 1981.
  • Salkever, Stephen G. “Aristotle’s Social Science.” Political Theory, Vol. 9, No. 4 (1981): 479-508.
  • Strauss, Leo. What is Political Philosophy. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1988.
  • Yack, Bernard. The Problems of A Political Animal. Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1993.
There are 19 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Journal Section Article
Authors

Mehmet Akif Kayapınar 0000-0002-3208-4718

Early Pub Date March 12, 2022
Publication Date August 27, 2022
Published in Issue Year 2022 Volume: 27 Issue: 52

Cite

Chicago Kayapınar, Mehmet Akif. “Aristotle’s Political Theory: Metaphysics and Physics Meet Ethics and Politics (Aristoteles’in Siyaset Teorisi: Metafizik Ve Fizik Ahlak Ve Siyasetle Buluşuyor)”. Divan: Disiplinlerarası Çalışmalar Dergisi 27, no. 52 (August 2022): 1-26.