Pojam polisa
The Concept of the Polis

Summary/Abstract: A crisis within a theory alone is not sufficient of bring forth new concepts in the field of political philosophy. Hence, the crisis of the Aristotelian paradigm in political theory is not just caused by theoretical revolution but also by extensive historical-political upheavals in western Europe. In the field of both ethics and politics, we are concerned with experience and events, speech and action, and those always take place in a particular historical context and derive from it. It follows from this that there exists no objective notion of the political. The author asks what is in effect the political? What is the Greek concept of the political? In what manner was the polis constituted as the centre of political life? Although it is impossible to imitate the experience of the political — even though it is not enough if it is merely experienced but must be ever again reconstructed by one's own power of action — it must remain open; by upholding its memory, the possibility should be left open for its practice.

• Details
• Contents