Was Aristotle A Realist, An Idealist, Both Or Neither?

The first 200 words of this essay...

Was Aristotle A Realist, An Idealist, Both Or Neither?

For the purposes of this essay, definitions will be kept simple: a realist is someone who represents or views things as they are in reality, while an idealist is someone who has high ideals that are not necessarily based in reality, someone who sets a standard to aim at that could be considered unrealistic. This essay will answer the set question by looking at Aristotles' views on human nature, the ends of politics, liberty, and equality, and deciding whether they are realistic or idealistic.

Aristotles' most famous view of human nature is that "...a human being is by nature a political animal..." (Politics, Bk1 Ch2). Aristotle closely linked humans/human nature and politics, believing that humans were naturally intended to live in city states, which he believed to be natural in themselves, hence "...anyone who is without a city state, not by luck but by nature, is either a poor specimen or else superhuman." (Politics, Bk1 Ch2). In terms of human nature, Aristotle thought that people, or more specifically, men, tended "...by nature to be on an equal footing and to differ in nothing." (Politics, Bk1 Ch12) by