The political-animal doctrine has deep Italian philosophical roots

Evidence

His political philosophy is scientific and empirical, based upon his own experience of affairs, concerned to set forth the means to assigned ends, regardless of the question whether the ends are to be considered good or bad. — Bertrand Russell, History of Western Philosophy, 1870 (#expands, via linked claim)

‘Metaphysics sink into the background, and ethics, now individual, become of the first importance. Philosophy is no longer the pillar of fire going before a few intrepid seekers after truth: it is rather an ambulance following in the wake of the struggle for existence and picking up the weak and wounded.’ — Bertrand Russell, History of Western Philosophy, 946 (#expands, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Machiavelli based political philosophy on empirical means rather than moral ends — Bertrand Russell, History of Western Philosophy, 1870; Fascist ideology legitimated Mussolini by analogy to Caesar’s transformation of Rome; Every philosophy is a politics embedded in its historical context (+4 more)

Related

• Machiavelli derived political rules from objective conditions of struggle, not ethics (similarity 0.84)
• Machiavelli based political philosophy on empirical means rather than moral ends (similarity 0.84)
• Machiavelli’s work is immediate political action, not utopian blueprint (similarity 0.83)
• The revival of Italian city-states renewed political interest in classical antiquity (similarity 0.82)
• Machiavelli’s concepts function as intuitions and symbols, not metaphysics (similarity 0.82)
• Realist political theory adopts the powerholder’s viewpoint (similarity 0.80)
• Hellenistic political impotence shifted philosophical focus from metaphysics to individual ethics (similarity 0.78)

Broader Connections

• Machiavelli based political philosophy on empirical means rather than moral ends #expands (0.82) — Bertrand Russell, History of Western Philosophy, 1870
• Every philosophy is a politics embedded in its historical context #expands (0.78)
• Hellenistic political impotence shifted philosophical focus from metaphysics to individual ethics #expands (0.78) — Bertrand Russell, History of Western Philosophy, 946
• Fascist ideology legitimated Mussolini by analogy to Caesar’s transformation of Rome #exemplifies (0.75)
• Philosophers both reflect their historical milieu and shape future institutions #expands (0.75) — Bertrand Russell, History of Western Philosophy, 32
• Politics mediates between elite philosophy and common sense #expands (0.75)
• The revival of Italian city-states renewed political interest in classical antiquity #expands (0.72) — Bertrand Russell, History of Western Philosophy, 1886