Aristotle's Political Thought and its Philosophical Foundations

Surveying the relationship between political philosophy and philosophy as a whole is one of important issues in theoretical system of any philosopher as well as Aristotle. He as an ancient philosopher has a controversial linkages with Platonic metaphysics and politics. Here the author first emphasizes on the role of Aristotle`s social environment in his system of thought, and tries to make a connection between Aristotle`s philosophy and its socio-historical background. Then apart from judging about and criticizing Aristotle`s philosophy, the author tries to make an outline of the roots of Aristotelian political theory. What are the constitutive and normative foundations of individual behavior in Aristotelian view? What are the main elements of Aristotelian system of political theory and its connection with metaphysics or general philosophy? These are the main questions of this article.