what is politics
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politicsTRANSCRIPT
What is politics?
Modern Political Concepts
15th January 2013
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15th January 2013
Solano Da Silva
To understand what is the political; what is meant
by the term politics and what is the scope of the
discipline of political studies.
1) Clues form the Ancient Greeks
2) Modern understanding of politics
Class Objective >>
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2) Modern understanding of politics
• We get some notion of what politics means from the ancient
Greeks (particularly the Athenians) who used the word polis to
refer to a number of aspects:
1) To refer to a place, in particular a city (Athens,
Sparta, Thebes and Corinth were at the time
independent and competing city states).
Politics? > 1. Clues from the Ancient Greeks >>
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2) Also referred to the body or group of persons who belonged
to the city-state and who were known as citizens, those who
were loyal to the city (note how the word citizens derives from
city).
Today a group or community which is politically organised is
often called a polity.
Politics? > 1. Clues from the Ancient Greeks >>
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often called a polity.
3) Also refers to an activity which was practiced by the citizens
which is that of collective decision making.
Remember that Athenians developed an innovative form of
government called Demokratia which was then adopted by
many other Greek city-states.
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3) Politics as an activity involving collective decision making.
• For the Greeks politics was a form of collective organisation and collective activity.
• This activity was characterised by collective and consensual decision making (based on discussions and debate and not
through violence and conflict) which was intended for the
public good.
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3) Politics as an activity involving collective decision making.
For the Ancient Greeks politics involved a continuous
preoccupation about what constitutes the greater good and how
to bring forth the ‘good life’.
e.g. the ancient Greek’s classified good and perverse regimes –
the three “good” regimes being monarchy, aristocracy, and a
moderate form of democracy; and their three “perversions”
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moderate form of democracy; and their three “perversions”
being tyranny, oligarchy, and a bad form of democracy.
1. First View
• [Observation] all societies exhibit some form of organisation
or order (stability, regularity).
• i.e. Some way by which individual and social life is regulated
and organised.
Politics? > 2. Modern understandings >>
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• This seems to be achieved through some exercise of
power in society.
At a basic level politics refers to a particular set of activities to do
with the generation and exercise of power in society.
Politics is about the social exercise of power.
2. Second View
• [Closely related to the first view is the observation] that
societies exhibit a variety of ways through which power is
exercised.
• i.e. The presence of a variety of institutions through which
power is exercised in society.
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power is exercised in society.
At another level politics refers to the arrangement and working
of institutions of government in society.
Politics is the art and government and activities of the state.
3. Third View
• [Another observation] that political arrangements change; that
power is often contested and challenged.
• i.e. The existence of struggles for political change; rival
opinions, different wants, competing needs and opposing
interests. .
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interests. .
Politics also refers to the ways by which power is challenged,
political institutions change, and the reasons for the same.
Politics is about how conflicts arise and how they are resolved.
Traditional view of politics and Modern inclusions
Traditional view Modern view
Viewed politics largely as
consensual in nature.
Also recognises politics as
conflictual activity.
Politics seen as a distinctly
public activity.
Also recognised politics
occurring in private
Politics? > 2. Modern understandings >>
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relationships.
Politics to do with the
activities of government
and the state.
Politics much more
pervasive in society; goes
beyond the activities of
governments and states.
Politics to do with how to
bring about the ‘good life’.
Politics about different and
contesting values.
Politics; an academic discipline
Politics or political analysis refers to an inquiry into the nature, distribution, exercise, contestation and outcome of power in society.
• Nature of power
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•Distribution of power
•Exercise of power
•Contestation of power and values
•Outcomes
REFERENCES
•Heywood, A. (2000) ‘Politics’ in Key Concepts in Politics. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, PP. 33 – 35.
•Tansey, S. D. (2000) Politics: The Basics (2nd ed.) London: Routledge, pp. 1 – 7.
•Bhargava, R. & Acharya, A. (Eds.) (2008) ‘What is Political’ in Political Theory: An Introduction. New Delhi: Pearson, pp. 14-16.
•Lane, Melissa, (2011) ‘Ancient Political Philosophy’ in The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Fall 2011 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.),
viewed 12th Aug 2012 <http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/ancient-
political/>.
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