What is Politics? An Exploration of Perspectives and Frameworks

Political Science 101Shermon O. Cruz

WHAT IS POLITICS?

Lecture Objectives Explore politics in various

context , by asking, by exploring the answers to the questions:

Essentially, what is politics? What do, we, us, mean by it?

Are there other meanings (frameworks, perspectives) other than Greek conception of politics?

What is the western view of politics? (Greek)

What is the Non-western view of politics? (Chinese, Indian, Islam)

Do we have a Filipino view of politics?Ilocano?

How politics is learned? What is political culture? What is political socialization? What motivates political action?

Thinking about your own experience, what agent of political socialization do you think had the most effect on your attitudes and beliefs?

What has been the result?

acquaint you with politics; open your minds and break your, our

biases about it. enable you to think critically about your,

our own of perspectives of politics, preferences

and put our personal experiences as essential in the understanding of politics as a student of political science, as a citizen.

What are you in the political landscape?

I will give you a link later on, a questionnaire that will determine your political preferences, mindset, color called the POLITICAL COMPASS.

A highly recommended link by Professor Wood, a renowned sociologist in the US, of Rutgers University, New Jersey.

You will find useful theories and concepts, info’s, data on the meanings of politics, the agents of political socialization, etc.

You will learn how the west and the non-west differ in their perspectives, meanings of politics and become aware of the nuances, intricacies, influence of culture in political discourse, preferences.

Among others…

Political Beings - Sarkar

Political Animals – Socrates

Air we breath is filled with stuff of politics…

INFLUENCE

PERSUASION

COERCION

DEBATE

COMPETITION

COOPERATION

ANTAGONISM

ALTRUISM

GENEROSITY

STRIFE

“AN UNEXAMINED LIFE IS NOT WORTH LIVING”

SOCRATES

WE ALL WANT TO BE FREE

TO BE FREE (LIBERAL) LIMITLESS (INDIAN) TO EXPAND (ISLAM) TO GROW (CHINESE)

POLITICS IS THE SUBSTANCE OF ALL INTERESTED HUMAN INTERACTIONS -

(IT MAY NOT BE TRUE FOR OTHERS)

Polis – names given to the city states of Sparta and Athens.

Aristotle believed that the highest purpose of human life is participation in the political community.

(This may not be true for others)

Basic political human need is individuality. (Again, this may not be true for ‘others’)

We all want to be recognized as unique and special.

We want our distinctive value to be seen as having value.

Today, politics is defined as the competition of interest in society.

David Easton, defined it as the “authoritative allocation of values”

Harold Laswell defined it as

“who gets what, when and how.”

(INDIVIDUALISM)…

GREEK VERSION OF POLITICS

the Culture of Wars of Ancient Greece in the 5th century BC

The western view of Man by nature is brutish (Culture of Wars)

To be free was the natural state of man. Independence, Self-Interest is a virtue.

Socrates, Plato, Aristotle is the most recognizable icons of Greek politics

GREEK VERSION

Rhetorical skills Education in the Liberal arts Individualism Political Leadership Democratic Culture Freedom Right

CHINESE VERSION OF POLITICS inspired by Confucian

beliefs and ways of knowing.

the sky, the earth, the fire, the river, the water and all things natural informs the Chinese conception of politics

Man is the focal point of everything

CHINESE VERSION OF POLITICS

Man by nature is wise, inherently good, must stay closely to what is essential to human experience and has the capacity to transform and reshape oneself according to the rhythms of nature.

They must rely heavily on themselves for survival.

Relationship with parents is the most natural state of man.

Being true to oneself and belonging to the community is essential.

Interdependence.

(COLLECTIVISM…)

Emphasis respect to parental authority and

authority figures, duty to family collectivism community civic culture cultural identity and heritage, Chinese classics and literature wealth creation character building, virtuous behavior,

morality civil service acquisition of proper skills and education human interrelatedness

Confucius, Ssu-ma-Chien are the icons of Classic Chinese Politics.

INDIAN VERSION OF POLITICS The Indian’s saw the

political in the transcendental (spiritual).

The Indian chronicle of politics, view of freedom was inspired by their view of transcendence or the desire to merge oneself with the Higher Self.

Man’s desire for freedom, limitlessness has its origins in the desire of Man to merge with the Infinite.

Man is attracted to something Greater than he/she is.

It is the ultimate goal of human life.

To be rational was to be spiritual and to be spiritual, to be political was about sacrificing oneself for the sake of others, to reduce human suffering.

Emphasis Rationality (intellect and

conscience) Spirituality Spiritual Leadership Enlightenment Social Justice Sacrifice Collectivism Devotion Self-realization Yoga and Meditation Tolerance

The merger of the Individual Self with the Supreme Self is the natural state of man.

Understanding and sacrificing oneself for the sake of others is essential.

Interdependence.

(Individualism (spiritual), Collectivism)

PR Sarkar, Shrii Aurobindo, Mahatma Gandhi, Shubash Chandra Bose are the icons of Indian Politics and Philosophy.

ISLAMIC VERSION OF POLITICS Inspired by the desert

and their struggle against environmental adversities.

Find their meaning, their identity, their purpose in the desert .

Islam gives them the divine purpose, ethical framework and worldview

The Bedouin nomad would be the ideal person in nature.

His courage, his struggles , his desert toughness and desert qualities, Muslim context of politics, leadership and history

Freedom is only experienced in the context of man’s nature to expand through group feelings, through identification in family, in clan, in dynasty.

Interdependence.

ISLAMIC VERSION OF POLITICS Group unity Respect for parental authority Royal authority (needs kingship to prevent

groups and clans infighting) Bravery, Courage Islam Choice, Reason Discipline Social Order Solidarity Collectivism Collective identity

Ibn Khaldun most prominent icon of Muslim political history, macrohistorian

Review

What is politics? What is the context of western and

non-western definition of politics? What is politics, natural state of man

according to Greek, Chinese, Indian, Islamic views?

What are the nuances, intricacies of western and non-western definitions of politics?

Questions

What is the Filipino view of politics? (Read Samuel Huntington’s Book Clash of Civilizations and Geert Hoffstede Theory of Cultural Dimensions, local references)

Do we have an Ilocano view of politics? What is its context? What is our emphasis? What is our level, degree of political socializations? What is our political culture?

More Questions

How politics is learned? What is political culture? What is political socialization? How does it shape our political

behavior?What motivates political action?

And another question

what agent of political socialization do you think had

the most effect on your attitudes and beliefs? What has been the

result?

Assignment

What is your political compass? Know your political preferences, political outlook, political views, political narratives.

http://www.politicalcompass.org/ Take the test. Print your results.

What do you think about it? Share. Discuss.

Search and Read the following links Political Socialization and Culture. GVPT

100. September 17, 2007. http://www.wadsworth.com/sociology_d/

special_features/popups/virtual/10.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/

Political_culture http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lPu_x

YAckQ&feature=related http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politics http://www.politicalcompass.org/index  

For the next class….

Political Culture Political Socialization

References

Shermon Cruz, Peering into the Futures of Liberal Arts, Journal of Futures Studies. March 2012

Sohail Inayatullah, Understanding Sarkar: The Indian Episteme, Macrohistory and Transformative Knowledge, Brill, 2001