What is Politics

What is politics?

Modern Political Concepts

15th January 2013

1

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 >>

2

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 >>

3

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.


4

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.


5

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.


6

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”


7

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 >>

8

• 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.


9

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. .


10

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


11

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


12

•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/>.

13

What is Politics

Documents

Transcript of What is Politics