出之亚里士多德名著《政治学》卷A 章二
Politics (best states, utopias, constitutions, revolutions)
When several villages are united in a single complete community, large enough to be nearly or quite self-sufficing, the state comes into existence, originating in the bare needs of life, and continuing in existence for the sake of a good life. And therefore, if the earlier forms of society are natural, so is the state, for it is the end of them, and the nature of a thing is its end. For what each thing is when fully developed, we call its nature, whether we are speaking of a man, a horse, or a family. Besides, the final cause and end of a thing is the best, and to be self-sufficing is the end and the best.
《政治学》(最佳国家,乌托邦,宪法,革命)
等到由若干村坊组合而为" 城市( 城邦) " , 社会就进化到高级而完备的境界, 在这种社会团体以内, 人类的生活可以获得完全的自给自足; 我们也可以这样说; 城邦的长成出于人类" 生活" 的发展, 而实际的存在却是为了" 优良的生活" 。早期各级社会团体都是自然地生长起来的, 一切城邦既然都是这一生长过程的完成, 也该是自然的产物。这又是社会团体发展的终点。无论是一个人或一匹马或一个家庭, 当它生长完成以后, 我们就见到了它的自然本性; 每一自然事物生长的目的就在显明其本性。又事物的终点,或其极因,必然达到至善,那么,现在这个完全自足的城邦正该是至善的社会团体了。
由于时间久远、文化差异、语言障碍。我们并不能非常准确知道亚氏当年的真实原意。所以有了颇多版本的引用。
“bette city,better life”
我认为这是两千年来对亚氏精神最美好的人类语言表达。
参考资料:《政治学》卷A 章二