Chapter one: What is politics
Aristotle believed politics is an activity that is intersubjective (between 2 or more people)
concerning our terms of living. Purposes of community (teloi plural telos singular) and the
survival of such community.
Intersubjective: between 2 or more people.
Teloi: ends and means, plural.
Telos: end and mean, singular.
Politics is where people make and abide by the rules they make amongst a society.
Conflict and Cooperation.
Politics is bias
Harold Laswel: Distribution of different scarcities, who gets what, when, and how.
Henry Adams summed up politics as ‘the systematic organisation of hatreds’
Samuel Johnson dismissed politics as ‘nothing more than a means of rising
in the world’
DEFINITION: ‘the making, preserving and amending of general social rules’
Figure 1.1 Approaches to defining politics Politics as the art of
government
Athens, Greece was the cradle of democracy
‘authoritative allocation of values’. By this, he meant that politics encompasses the various
processes through which government responds to pressures from the larger society, in
particular by allocating benefits, rewards or penalties
● traditional authority is rooted in history;
● charismatic authority stems from personality;
● legal–rational authority is grounded in a set of impersonal rules.
Power is the ability to influence the behaviour of others in a manner not of
their choosing.
Politics as public affairs
politics as an essentially ‘public’ activity has generated both
positive and negative images
, Politics within families as viewed by feminists: forced and conditioned to take on “gendered
roles” (women taking care of the home while men go on and work). This often left women out
of politics for hundreds if not thousands of years.
Politics is the most important form of human activity because it involves interaction amongst
free and equal citizens. It thus gives meaning to life and affirms the uniqueness of each
individual.
Politics as power
politics at work in all social activities and in every corner of human existence
Politics can be found within families and amongst small groups of friends just as much as
amongst nations and on the global stage
power consists of conscious actions that in some way influence the content of decisions.
the ability to prevent decisions being made: controlling political agenda and preventing
issues or proposals from being aired
Power is the ability to influence another by shaping what people think, wants or needs via
ideological indoctrination or psychological control.
Power is not equally distributed
Feminists believe in a non-sexist society, in which people will be valued according to
personal worth, rather than on the basis of gender.
Marxists believe that ‘class politics’ will end with the establishment of a classless communist
society which will eventually eradicate politics in a society.
Power to: willingly do something e.g. power to pick something up.
Power over: make someone do something they would otherwise not do e.g control of
actions.
Coercion: based on use or force or threat thereof to get one to obey “,do this or else I will
Insert threat here.”
Influence: persuade others to do something thinking it is in their best interest. .
Authority: Publicly recognised right to exert power “,because I said so”.
Traditional authority: monarchs, based on custom, divine right (“chosen by god”), passed on
through hereditary, born into social status.
Charismatic authority: appealing to the public, arises in crisis, promises improved living
conditions and future (example: Hitler, Louis Riel, Joan D’Arc), noticeable “exceptional
Aristotle believed politics is an activity that is intersubjective (between 2 or more people)
concerning our terms of living. Purposes of community (teloi plural telos singular) and the
survival of such community.
Intersubjective: between 2 or more people.
Teloi: ends and means, plural.
Telos: end and mean, singular.
Politics is where people make and abide by the rules they make amongst a society.
Conflict and Cooperation.
Politics is bias
Harold Laswel: Distribution of different scarcities, who gets what, when, and how.
Henry Adams summed up politics as ‘the systematic organisation of hatreds’
Samuel Johnson dismissed politics as ‘nothing more than a means of rising
in the world’
DEFINITION: ‘the making, preserving and amending of general social rules’
Figure 1.1 Approaches to defining politics Politics as the art of
government
Athens, Greece was the cradle of democracy
‘authoritative allocation of values’. By this, he meant that politics encompasses the various
processes through which government responds to pressures from the larger society, in
particular by allocating benefits, rewards or penalties
● traditional authority is rooted in history;
● charismatic authority stems from personality;
● legal–rational authority is grounded in a set of impersonal rules.
Power is the ability to influence the behaviour of others in a manner not of
their choosing.
Politics as public affairs
politics as an essentially ‘public’ activity has generated both
positive and negative images
, Politics within families as viewed by feminists: forced and conditioned to take on “gendered
roles” (women taking care of the home while men go on and work). This often left women out
of politics for hundreds if not thousands of years.
Politics is the most important form of human activity because it involves interaction amongst
free and equal citizens. It thus gives meaning to life and affirms the uniqueness of each
individual.
Politics as power
politics at work in all social activities and in every corner of human existence
Politics can be found within families and amongst small groups of friends just as much as
amongst nations and on the global stage
power consists of conscious actions that in some way influence the content of decisions.
the ability to prevent decisions being made: controlling political agenda and preventing
issues or proposals from being aired
Power is the ability to influence another by shaping what people think, wants or needs via
ideological indoctrination or psychological control.
Power is not equally distributed
Feminists believe in a non-sexist society, in which people will be valued according to
personal worth, rather than on the basis of gender.
Marxists believe that ‘class politics’ will end with the establishment of a classless communist
society which will eventually eradicate politics in a society.
Power to: willingly do something e.g. power to pick something up.
Power over: make someone do something they would otherwise not do e.g control of
actions.
Coercion: based on use or force or threat thereof to get one to obey “,do this or else I will
Insert threat here.”
Influence: persuade others to do something thinking it is in their best interest. .
Authority: Publicly recognised right to exert power “,because I said so”.
Traditional authority: monarchs, based on custom, divine right (“chosen by god”), passed on
through hereditary, born into social status.
Charismatic authority: appealing to the public, arises in crisis, promises improved living
conditions and future (example: Hitler, Louis Riel, Joan D’Arc), noticeable “exceptional
