The relationship between Alexander the cosmocrator and Aristotle the political theorist is a “classical” theme in the reception and criticism of the Macedonian king and Aristotle’s work respectively. The study of this theme allows us to compare two different research perspectives. The first is that of Aristotle as Alexander’s political advisor: this image is fully developed in the Eastern and Western tradition and finds its main context of elaboration in the Roman culture of the imperial age. The second perspective, which is given priority here, attempts to shed light on what is undoubtedly the most complex and controversial aspect of the critical reworking of the relationship between Alexander and Aristotle, namely the extent of Aristotle’s actual intellectual involvement with the novelty of the political achievements of the Macedonian monarchy. It is possible to isolate a thematic core that serves as a link between these two perspectives: it is the theme of the unity of the empire. If we isolate the theme of the unity of the empire in Alexander’s reception, we immediately see the central role assigned to Aristotle. Alexander’s entire ecumenical design tends to be traced back to Aristotle's teaching, that is, the theoretical design that ideologically underpins the unification of the Greek cities into a unified state above the individual poleis and, at the same time, the project of a unified government of the world. Scholars are in relative agreement on the nature of this relationship, as well as on the different functions played by Aristotle’s presence alongside Alexander in the cultural context of its elaboration, which can be traced back to the Roman-imperial period (I-III AD). In this context, the relationship between Aristotle and Alexander invests every aspect of the action of conquest, from the political to the cultural, from the scientific to the religious. However, if we look at the subject of the unity of Alexander’s empire from the perspective of a critical reworking of what can be found in Aristotle’s work on this point, the state of the art changes radically. Indeed, there is considerable scholarly disagreement as to whether Aristotle considered the political achievements of the Macedonian monarchy. The question of the permeability of Aristotle’s reflections to the novelties that the political and juridical relationship between the Macedonian kingdom and the Greek cities had introduced into the sphere of hegemonic relations between the Greek states, as well as the possibility that Aristotle had elaborated an even more advanced line of thought, capable of providing an ideological basis for the construction of Alexander's empire and justifying, on the level of political theory, the prospect of a new reality that went beyond the polis, remains extremely controversial. According to most scholars, Aristotle was literally “blind” to the changes his era was undergoing. Other scholars, on the other hand, believe that it is necessary to overturn this image and recognise an Aristotle who was certainly involved in Alexander’s ideological construction of world government. In exploring this theme, I would like to try to outline a more nuanced relationship between Alexander and Aristotle, in which the latter is engaged in illustrating what he knows best about Alexander’s ecumenical design: the problem of the unity of the Greeks.
Il rapporto tra Alessandro cosmocrator e Aristotele teorico della politica è un tema “classico” della ricezione e della critica, rispettivamente del re macedone e dell’opera aristotelica. Riprendere in esame questo tema permette di mettere a confronto due prospettive di ricerca diverse. La prima guarda ad Aristotele come consigliere politico di Alessandro: è un’immagine compiutamente delineata nella tradizione orientale e occidentale e che trova il suo principale contesto di elaborazione nella cultura romana di età imperiale. La seconda prospettiva, che qui è prioritaria, prova a gettare luce sull’aspetto indiscutibilmente più complesso e discusso della rielaborazione critica del rapporto fra Alessandro e Aristotele ovvero la misura del reale coinvolgimento intellettuale di Aristotele rispetto alle novità delle realizzazioni politiche da parte della monarchia macedone. È possibile isolare un nucleo tematico che funge da punto di raccordo fra queste due prospettive: è il tema dell’unità dell’impero. Se isoliamo il tema dell’unità dell’impero nella ricezione di Alessandro è immediato rendersi conto del ruolo centrale assegnato ad Aristotele. All’insegnamento di Aristotele è tendenzialmente ricondotto l’intero disegno ecumenico di Alessandro ovvero il disegno teorico che fonda ideologicamente l’unificazione delle città greche in un’unità statale al di sopra delle singole poleis e insieme il progetto di un governo unitario del mondo. Sui caratteri che assume questo rapporto gli studiosi sono relativamente concordi e spiegano in modo analogo le diverse funzioni che la presenza di Aristotele accanto ad Alessandro svolge nel contesto culturale della sua elaborazione, riferibile all’età romano- imperiale (I-III d.C.). In questo contesto il rapporto fra Aristotele e Alessandro investe ogni aspetto dell’azione di conquista, da quello politico a quello culturale, da quello scientifico a quello religioso. Se, però, guardiamo al tema dell’unità dell’impero di Alessandro nella prospettiva di una rielaborazione critica di ciò che sul punto si trova nell’opera aristotelica, lo stato dell’arte muta radicalmente. Molto controverso, infatti, è il giudizio degli studiosi sulla possibilità che Aristotele avesse tenuto conto nella sua riflessione delle acquisizioni politiche della monarchia macedone. Estremamente dibattuta resta la questione della permeabilità della riflessione aristotelica alle novità che il rapporto politico e giuridico tra regno macedone e città greche aveva introdotto nell’ambito delle relazioni di segno egemonico tra gli Stati greci, così come la possibilità che Aristotele avesse elaborato una linea di pensiero anche più avanzata, capace di fondare ideologicamente la costruzione dell’impero di Alessandro e di giustificare sul piano della teoria politica la prospettiva di una nuova realtà che andasse oltre la polis. Secondo la maggior parte degli studiosi, Aristotele fu letteralmente “cieco” davanti ai mutamenti che la sua epoca attraversava. Altri studiosi ritengono invece che sia necessario ribaltare questa immagine e riconoscere un Aristotele certamente coinvolto nella costruzione ideologica del governo del mondo da parte di Alessandro. Riprendendo in esame questo tema vorrei provare a delineare un rapporto più sfumato tra Alessandro e Aristotele che vede quest’ultimo impegnato a illustrare ciò che conosce meglio del disegno ecumenico di Alessandro: è il problema dell’unità dei Greci.
Alessandro, Aristotele e l’unità dell’impero: per uno stato dell’arte fra ricezione di Alessandro e critica aristotelica
Poddighe, E.
2024-01-01
Abstract
The relationship between Alexander the cosmocrator and Aristotle the political theorist is a “classical” theme in the reception and criticism of the Macedonian king and Aristotle’s work respectively. The study of this theme allows us to compare two different research perspectives. The first is that of Aristotle as Alexander’s political advisor: this image is fully developed in the Eastern and Western tradition and finds its main context of elaboration in the Roman culture of the imperial age. The second perspective, which is given priority here, attempts to shed light on what is undoubtedly the most complex and controversial aspect of the critical reworking of the relationship between Alexander and Aristotle, namely the extent of Aristotle’s actual intellectual involvement with the novelty of the political achievements of the Macedonian monarchy. It is possible to isolate a thematic core that serves as a link between these two perspectives: it is the theme of the unity of the empire. If we isolate the theme of the unity of the empire in Alexander’s reception, we immediately see the central role assigned to Aristotle. Alexander’s entire ecumenical design tends to be traced back to Aristotle's teaching, that is, the theoretical design that ideologically underpins the unification of the Greek cities into a unified state above the individual poleis and, at the same time, the project of a unified government of the world. Scholars are in relative agreement on the nature of this relationship, as well as on the different functions played by Aristotle’s presence alongside Alexander in the cultural context of its elaboration, which can be traced back to the Roman-imperial period (I-III AD). In this context, the relationship between Aristotle and Alexander invests every aspect of the action of conquest, from the political to the cultural, from the scientific to the religious. However, if we look at the subject of the unity of Alexander’s empire from the perspective of a critical reworking of what can be found in Aristotle’s work on this point, the state of the art changes radically. Indeed, there is considerable scholarly disagreement as to whether Aristotle considered the political achievements of the Macedonian monarchy. The question of the permeability of Aristotle’s reflections to the novelties that the political and juridical relationship between the Macedonian kingdom and the Greek cities had introduced into the sphere of hegemonic relations between the Greek states, as well as the possibility that Aristotle had elaborated an even more advanced line of thought, capable of providing an ideological basis for the construction of Alexander's empire and justifying, on the level of political theory, the prospect of a new reality that went beyond the polis, remains extremely controversial. According to most scholars, Aristotle was literally “blind” to the changes his era was undergoing. Other scholars, on the other hand, believe that it is necessary to overturn this image and recognise an Aristotle who was certainly involved in Alexander’s ideological construction of world government. In exploring this theme, I would like to try to outline a more nuanced relationship between Alexander and Aristotle, in which the latter is engaged in illustrating what he knows best about Alexander’s ecumenical design: the problem of the unity of the Greeks.File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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