Politics is a subject intrinsically linked to philosophy because the way men organize and conduct themselves socially and economically affects their ability and desire to use philosophy as a guiding principle. Aristotle and Hegel both shared strong views on the importance and use of the concept of "the state" as a tool to affect the safety and well-being of the individual man. Aristotle published two famous works that addressed politics directly. Nichomachean Ethics and Politics were originally two parts of the same work, but were eventually separated. In these works, Aristotle argues that "the true purpose of government is to enable its citizens to live the full and happy life discussed in his ethics" (Magee 39). Because man is, in his famous words, "a political animal," man needs political and social organization to attain the goal of happiness. Isolation might, according to Aristotle, breed selfishness and excess and violate his principle of moderation expressed by "the golden mean." Society, though, represents a balance and is the key to happiness. Because "the state" represents the organization of society, it has the potential to help people develop personal happiness (Magee 38-9).

Like Aristotle, Hegel also draws soundly on the role of the state and society in bringing happiness for the individual person. His book Elements of the Philosophy of Right was a "major work in political philosophy" (Redding 2). Hegel saw the history of the world as a progression from infancy to enlightenment, and the conflict and change that had accompanied history had helped move society closer to a position where the state could engender happiness and fulfillment. He viewed himself as part of the great historical progression of thought (that had begun with the Greek philosophers such as Aristotle, Plato, and Socrates) and saw in his life "the culmination of...

He saw this progression of the political and social levels as ending in a perfect and conflict-free "ideal state of affairs" where "further change will be neither necessary or desirable" (Magee 161). Hegel believed that an ideal state would express the general will of the people involved and "give expression to the general interest" (Redding 14). In his view, "the actualized freedom of universal history...is organized liberty, or freedom structured by a State" (Magill 370). It is easy to see how political groups such as the Nazis and the Communists (although widely divergent groups) took up Hegel's views in order to bolster their causes. The Nazis used Hegel to validate their fascist worshipping of the state and the Communists suggested that their political system would be the ideal end state that Hegel suggested. Just as Aristotle was part of a great chain of influence that began with Socrates and continued with his pupil Alexander the Great, Hegel, too, was both inspired by and an inspiration to others.
Aristotle's views about the importance of applying the field of logic to understanding the progression of human thought, his lust for knowledge, and his belief in the usefulness of the state are echoed centuries later in the belief and works of Georg Wilhem Friedrich Hegel.

Works Cited

Magee, Bryan. The Story of Philosophy. London: Dorling Kindersley, 2001.

Magill, Frank, ed. Masterpieces of World Philosophy. New York: HarperCollins,

Redding, Paul, "Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel," the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Fall 2006 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.)

URL=

http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/fall2006/entries/hegel/.