Who stated that man is a social animal?

Answer 1

Citing the following passage, Bartlett's Familiar Quotations attributes the phrase, "Man is a social animal," to Baruch Spinoza:

"Yet it rarely happens that men live in obedience to reason, for things are so ordered among them, that they are generally envious and troublesome one to another. Nevertheless they are scarcely able to lead a solitary life, so that the definition of man as a social animal has met with general assent ; in fact, men do derive from social life much more convenience than injury."

-Ethics, IV, proposition 35:note

The notion of man as a social animal may have originated with Aristotle:

"Hence it is evident that the state is a creation of nature and that man by nature is a political animal."

-Politics, I

The adjective that Aristotle used to describe man in Greek is 'politikos' which is where we get the English word political. For this reason, 'politikos' is often translated as political, however the actual Greek meaning was a little deeper. 'Politikos' came from the Greek word 'polis' meaning city-state. To be 'politikos' was to be a member of the 'polis' or a citizen. Being a citizen, while certainly implying participation in various political responsibilities, was more about being a part of society; contributing to the good of the whole. In this way, the meaning of 'politikos' more resembles the English word social than political. ed that "man is by nature a social animal" in regards to human nature.
Citing the following passage, Bartlett's Familiar Quotationsattributes the phrase, "Man is a social animal," to Baruch Spinoza:

"Yet it rarely happens that men live in obedience to reason, for things are so ordered among them, that they are generally envious and troublesome one to another. Nevertheless they are scarcely able to lead a solitary life, so that the definition of man as a social animal has met with general assent ; in fact, men do derive from social life much more convenience than injury."

-Ethics, IV, proposition 35:note

The notion of man as a social animal may have originated with Aristotle:

"Hence it is evident that the state is a creation of nature and that man by nature is a political animal."

-Politics, I

The adjective that Aristotle used to describe man in Greek is 'politikos' which is where we get the English word political. For this reason, 'politikos' is often translated as political, however the actual Greek meaning was a little deeper. 'Politikos' came from the Greek word 'polis' meaning city-state. To be 'politikos' was to be a member of the 'polis' or a citizen. Being a citizen, while certainly implying participation in various political responsibilities, was more about being a part of society; contributing to the good of the whole. In this way, the meaning of 'politikos' more resembles the English word social than political.

Answer 2

Aristotle is credited with the statement that man is a social animal. He believed that humans are naturally inclined to live in communities and form social bonds in order to fulfill their needs and thrive as individuals.