Il corpo e la Politica. Metafore anatomiche e percettivo-sensoriali in Aristotele

For Aristotle, metaphors proper, similes, and other rhetorical outcomes of the same trope procedure which goes by the name of metapherein, reveal themselves to be adequate philosophical and argumentative tools if they prove capable of increasing knowledge. They do so by allowing for the identification of original and relevant connections between things put into relation and by enabling readers to immediately and effectively appreciate all the characteristics of a thing, even the less obvious ones. Starting from these premises, this paper intends to verify the role, function, and effectiveness of the metaphorical use made of the body, of its parts (hands, feet) and perceptive-sensory organs (mouth, eye, ear, nose) in Politics. Some of these metaphors carry out the task of facilitating the understanding of philosophical- political concepts and theories; others suggest new perspectives of investigation and reflection by conveying additional and not immediately clear meanings.