Abstract

Power and community are among the key issues concerning human social life, and both hold significant importance from theoretical and practical perspectives. In the philosophical reflections of ancient Greeks these issues emerged as central themes in considerations on humans and the state. They placed particular emphasis on the unique nature of human social life when contrasted with the behaviour of other social creatures. Aristotle, for example, argued that human social life transcends mere utilitarian or material needs. People associate with one another not only for material gain but because of an inherent need for friendship. He also argued that human communities at every level of development (oikos, kome, and polis) are grounded in a rationality unique to humans (as their differentia specifica). This rationality, expressed through speech, allows them to discern between what is useful and harmful, as well as what is just and unjust. In this way, according to the founder of the Lyceum, human communal life is not only aligned with human nature but also acquires an ethical character through the very actualisation of that nature. The factor that determines justice within communal life is political power. Consequently, Aristotle viewed a political community, or polis, as the most perfect form of community, which encompassed all other communities...