1

Aristotle was the last of the great philosophers who had eyes to see and, what is still more decisive, the energy and tenacity to continue to force inquiry back to the phenomena and to the seen and to mistrust from the ground up all wild and windy speculation, no matter how close to the heart of common sense. Martin Heidegger, Basic Problems of Phenomenology

A few lines from Aristotles Politics

In the Attic Greek, accompanied by a transliteration and a mot- -mot translation

polin hormen koinnian

1.

epeid pasan tina ousan kai

and

Seeing that

every

city

we look upon (as a) communion (of) some sort being behold

Seeing that we look upon every city as being a communion of some sort, and

koinnian agathou tinos sunestkuian

communion a good of some sort

heneken

pasan

every because of having arisen for the sake of framed, organized

(And, seeing that we look upon) every communion as having arisen for the sake of a good of some sort) because of ( dokountos agathou kharin pantes
the good in gratitude in all possible ways acts

panta
always)

( tou gar prattousi

( the since to be

einai
of

thinking

(since, whenever one acts, accomplishes, performs, achieves, or does anything in any way, one is always [already] in gratitude to the thinking good, i.e., to what they think or hold the good to be)

, dlon hs pasai stokhazontai,

Visible
(in the middle voice) Conspicuous Manifest, clear, self-apparent

men
while

agathou

tinos
aim

thus

all

(communions)

after a good of some sort

shoot , endeavor

It is thus self-evident that all communions aim after a good of some sort, [given that one is always [already] acting in accordance to ones conception of the good.]

more than any other

malista kuritatou

then and

de [5] kai tou pantn

[5]

the (communion) after the most supreme (good) of all

And then, the communion aiming, more than any other, after the most supreme good,

. h pasn kuritat periekhousa tas allas.

the of all communions the most supreme and

kai

pasas
others

all communions protecting the surrounding to protect including

This communion, which aims at the most supreme good, is the most supreme of all other communions, including and protecting all other communions.

. haut d' estin h koinnia h politik.

and is

kaloumen

polis

kai h
This

the (community) calling itself

city-state and the community the political.

And this communion is the one calling itself a city-state and a political communion.

hosoi men oun oiontai politikon kai basilikon

kai
How greatly indeed then think that the statesman and the royal ruler and

oikonomikon kai despotikon einai ton auton ou kals legousin the householder and the master of a family to be the same not beautifully speak

Then, they who think that the statesman, the royal ruler, the householder, and the master of a family to be the same speak indeed greatly not beautifully

[10] plthei gar kai oligotti nomizousi 10 diapherein,

in manyness for and in fewness they hold (the forms of rule) to differ

all' ouk
But not

eidei
in the form

, toutn
of the

hekaston,
each one

For they hold the forms of rule to differ quantitatively (manyness or fewness in respect to the number of subjects each ruler possesses), and not in respect to the form, look, kind, appearance, shape of each form of rule.

Now, we skip to line 63 of the Politics

, ek pleionn kmn
the and of more

koinnia
communion

perfect

villages

teleios

city-state

h d' polis,

And the communion of more villages is a perfect, accomplished, having-reached-its-end, finished city-state.

, d pass ekhousa peras ts autarkeias hs epos eipein, at last every

holding limit of autarchy as word to speak Holding or having the limit or boundary of every autarchy, as to speak the word. Being virtually self-sufficient in every way, so to speak.

. ginomen men tou zn tou eu zn.

coming into being while the to live

, heneken,

ousa de
to live.

for the sake of, being and of the well because of on account of

Coming into being for the sake of life, and being of the good life.

, dio pasa polis prtai koinniai,

Hence every city-state

, phusei estin, eiper kai hai

exists, just as and the first communions,

by nature

Hence every city-state exists by nature, just as the first communions exist by nature

telos telos
goal

for

: gar haut estin:

, ekeinn,

h de phusis
goal is

itself (the city-state)

of the others, the and nature

For the city-state is itself the goal of the others communions, and nature is goal-oriented (teleological)

, hoion gar hekaston esti ts geneses telestheiss,

as for each one is of the growth brought to completion For, as each one (thing) is (in essence) of its completed growth,

, . autn phamen tn phusin einai hekastou, hsper anthrpou hippou oikias.

This we say the nature to be of each one, just as of a horse of a house.

of a man

This (that which each thing is when its growth is completed) we say the nature of each thing to be, for instance of a man, of a horse, of a house.

Again

: eti to hou beltiston:

the which

heneka
for the sake of because of and the

kai to
goal best

telos

And again, the which for the sake of, the telos for and because of which a thing exists, is its best goal (telos).

[1253] . 1253a h d' autarkeia kai beltiston.

1253a the and autarchy and self-sufficiency independence

telos
a goal

kai
and best.

And autarchy is a telos, and the best telos.

, ek toutn oun phaneron hoti tn phusei h polis esti,

From these things city-state is then open to sight that of and by nature the

Then, from these things, it is open and clear to sight that the city-state is of nature and exists by nature.

kai hoti ho anthrpos phusei politikon

And that the human Man by nature for nature in nature political animal living-being

, zon,

And that man is by nature a political animal.