Latin Language Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for linguists, teachers, and students wanting to discuss the finer points of the Latin language. It only takes a minute to sign up.
Sign up to join this community
The following sentence by Artistotle is well-known:
Man is a political/social animal.
His original words are:
διότι δὲ πολιτικὸν ὁ ἄνθρωπος ζῷον πάσης μελίττης καὶ παντὸς ἀγελαίου ζῴου μᾶλλον, δῆλον. οὐθὲν γάρ, ὡς φαμέν, μάτην ἡ φύσις ποιεῖ (source)
This is in ancient Greek. Which words refer to "a political/social animal"? Which word has been translated as either political or social? Which do you think is the better English equivalent?
πολιτικὸν ὁ ἄνθρωπος ζῷον
The above is the basic statement. ὁ ἄνθρωπος is "man" (as in person, human being, not particular a male), and πολιτικὸν ζῷον is "political animal."
It should be noted that πολιτικὸν is the adjective derived from the Greek πόλις, which means "city." While it can mean "political" (as in related to politician), Aristotle here is likely referring more to the idea that people naturally congregate and create shared living spaces (i.e. cities). That's why he compares us to bees (μελίττης) or herd animals (ἀγελαίου).
Of course, a Greek would understand some of the various nuances that accompany such a use.
Which word is better is a matter of opinion. Using "political" keeps to the etymology of πολιτικος, but using "social" is perhaps more accurate here.
