Question:
Who said that, 'Man is a social animal'?
Who said that, 'Man is a social animal'?
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Think of the Greek philosopher who wrote Politics and argued that the state exists by nature.
Updated On: Jul 17, 2026
- Socrates
- Aristotle
- Kahn
- Plato
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The Correct Option is B
Solution and Explanation
Step 1: Understanding the Question.
The question asks which thinker is credited with the statement that man is a social animal. This is a standard political thought question, so the answer has to be traced back to a specific classical text rather than to general opinion.
Step 2: Key Idea or Approach.
The line comes from Aristotle's Politics. In it he argues that the state exists by nature and that man is by nature a political animal, often translated as a social animal. His reasoning is that a human being who can live outside society is either a beast or a god, because speech and moral judgement only make sense when people live together.
Step 3: Detailed Explanation.
Aristotle built his argument in stages. He said the family forms first to meet daily needs, several families join to form a village, and several villages join to form the state or polis. The state is the highest form because it aims at the good life, not just survival.
Since man reaches his full nature only inside the polis, Aristotle concluded that living in society is natural to man, not a later invention. That is why the phrase is attached to his name.
Now check the other names.
Socrates left no writings of his own and is known for his method of questioning and for ethical enquiry, not for this formulation.
Plato, Aristotle's teacher, wrote The Republic and dealt with justice and the ideal state, but the specific phrase about man being a social or political animal is Aristotle's.
Kahn is not a classical political philosopher at all and is placed here only as filler.
Step 4: Final Answer.
The statement belongs to Aristotle, so option (B) is correct.
\[ \boxed{\text{Aristotle}} \]
The question asks which thinker is credited with the statement that man is a social animal. This is a standard political thought question, so the answer has to be traced back to a specific classical text rather than to general opinion.
Step 2: Key Idea or Approach.
The line comes from Aristotle's Politics. In it he argues that the state exists by nature and that man is by nature a political animal, often translated as a social animal. His reasoning is that a human being who can live outside society is either a beast or a god, because speech and moral judgement only make sense when people live together.
Step 3: Detailed Explanation.
Aristotle built his argument in stages. He said the family forms first to meet daily needs, several families join to form a village, and several villages join to form the state or polis. The state is the highest form because it aims at the good life, not just survival.
Since man reaches his full nature only inside the polis, Aristotle concluded that living in society is natural to man, not a later invention. That is why the phrase is attached to his name.
Now check the other names.
Socrates left no writings of his own and is known for his method of questioning and for ethical enquiry, not for this formulation.
Plato, Aristotle's teacher, wrote The Republic and dealt with justice and the ideal state, but the specific phrase about man being a social or political animal is Aristotle's.
Kahn is not a classical political philosopher at all and is placed here only as filler.
Step 4: Final Answer.
The statement belongs to Aristotle, so option (B) is correct.
\[ \boxed{\text{Aristotle}} \]
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