The Comparison On Theory Of Human Nature Foundation Between Aristotle And Hobbes' Political Thought

Aristotle and Hobbes were important political thinker. There are great differences between their political thoughts, and these differences derive from different philosophical foundations, or to be specific, different views on human nature.Aristotle's statement -"man is by nature a political animal"- is one of key points of his political philosophy and the foundation of Political theory. This theory of human nature contains enriched political thought: Political existence is man's existence which could prompt full development of humanity; Justice is the basic principle of political existence; The political relation between personal and the city, priors to ethics relation and economic relation, is the inevitable outcome of the development of human nature. By contrast, Hobbes, who believed that human beings are fundamentally selfish, focuses on individual existence. He emphasizes individual's survival, something he regards as the primary natural law, and he thinks contract serves as the standard of judging justice. In his theory about human nature, Hobbes stresses individual survival rights, emphasizes individual freedom and the principle of equality. Hence the emergence the political community– state, but with different connotation based on their divergent views on human nature. Aristotle's is a good state, that the good is the ultimate goal, while Hobbes'is the right state, which is the tool to protect the vital interests of humans.Through comparison and analysis of the two philosophers'theories on human nature– the foundation of their political thoughts– what is certain is that people are rational animals. This includes the following three aspects. First, one of the most basic needs of humans is survival need rather than the need for city-state community. Second, the person is not necessarily self-sufficient. Third, the state is the tool for rational people to achieve their goals. Therefore, the state's political legitimacy is a contract, a rational concept which promotes or mediates interests of all men. They, be it contract or state, originate from human rationality. So the state is not the existence of intentional value, but is a tool to fulfill individual aims.On the surface, the modern political thought seems to be only a change of perspectives, but actually it contains the profound tradition of Western philosophy. Communitarianism can be traced back to Aristotle's philosophical tradition. And as early as in ancient times, liberal thought had already come forth, and Modern liberalism became more theoretical and systematized. Above all,Hobbes philosophy provides liberal thought a solid theoretical foundation. Thus, Aristotle and Hobbes's philosophy foundation led political thoughts to two different political directions: "good politics" and "power politics". The two thoughts are not entirely antagonistic contradictions, since there are some consistent views that they both share. This shows that the two directions cannot independently exist in the society and politics. Only though combining the two directions can the harmonious political community be possible. Aristotle and Hobbes were and still are important figures with profound influence in both their own times and the modern era. Therefore, it is of great significance to have a review of Aristotle's political theory and the Hobbes's Enlightenment philosophy in order to gain an insightful understanding of them.