Book 1
5
Now the goodness that we have to consider is clearly human virtue, since the good or happiness which we set out to seek is human good and human happiness.
6
But human virtue means in our view excellence of soul, not excellence of body; also our definition of happiness is an activity of the soul.
7
Now if this is so, clearly it behoves the statesman to have some acquaintance with psychology, just as the physician who is to heal the eye or the other parts of the bodyThe context seems to disprove the alternative rendering just as to cure eyes the oculist must have a general of the structure of the whole of the body as well. The illustration is a reminiscence of Plat. Charm. 156b-e, but does not follow that passage exactly. must know their anatomy. Indeed a foundation of science is even more requisite for the statesman, inasmuch as politics is a higher and more honorable art than medicine; but physicians of the better class devote much attention to the study of the human body.
8
The student of politicsπολιτικός means for Aristotle both “political scientist” and “statesman”: for him they are the same thing, since πολιτική is a practical science. therefore as well as the psychologist must study the nature of the soul, though he will do so as an aid to politics, and only so far as is requisite for the objects of enquiry that he has in view: to pursue the subject in further detail would doubtless be more laborious than is necessary for his purpose.
