Understanding Culture Society and

Politics

POLITICS, YOU AND DEMOCRACY

LYDIA N. YU-JOSE
According to Aristotle (384-322 B.C.), a human being is a
political animal; he is not human but a beast or a God if he could
live outside the state ( Ebenstein, 1966, 66)
 Aristotle’s dictum that Man is a Political Animal
• He said this in connection with state, the polis in
Greek, res publica in Latin which means ‘affairs
of the state’
• The word ‘politics’ is derived from ‘polis’ a
Greek work literally meaning ‘city-state’
• The state that Aristotle knew was a small—city
state. (imagine it to be as small as Singapore
with fewer people)
City--State
Is a small city
 As small as Singapore with fewer people
Very intimate city
Nation--state
• Much bigger in size population than city-states

City--state Nation--
state
Example of Nation--State
Coup d’etat
• A sudden attemp by a small Group of
people to take over the Government
usually through VIOLENCE.
You will not go to class because it is dangerous.
When an antigovernment rally causes traffic, you
might come to class late
ASPECT OF LIFE
THAT ARE
POLITICAL
Birth's have to be registered
Some countries have laws limiting the number
of children per family
Marriage License
Some countries have mandatory prenatal
examination of pregnant women.
Deaths have to be registered
Alcoholic drinks are not supposed to be sold
minors.
Wage earners must at least receive the main
minimum salary legislated by the state.
Buildings permits have to be secured
before you can build your House
In some countries, you must see to it that the height and size of your house do
not deprive your neighbor of sunlight at certain times of the day.
You have to pay your taxes
Schools and universities have to abide by the school
calendar approved by the state.
Some subjects in your curriculum are mandated
by the state
You have to pay your passport if you want
to travel abroad.
Garbage truck collect your garbage at least
once a week
In some countries antipollution measures are
enforced to ensure the health of the citizens
 Philippine president welcome overseas Filipino
workers at the airport when they come for Christmas
Senior citizens and students enjoy discounts in
theaters, museums, and other establishments
 WHAT IS
POLITICS ?
In Malacanang recently , at a nonpolitical sinday lunch for three--the Chief Executive,
his special assistant and this educational note taker--the sixth President of the
Republic Reminisced about his boyhood training during those crucial years when the
mold had not yed hardened, when the pliant intelligence had just started to be shaped
and sharpened;the same that today, operating at the pinnacle of political power, makes
the fateful decisions for good ill, involving as they do the natio's well being, honor,
security and survival. (Brillantes 2005, 57P)
Lasswell 1936
Politics may be defined in different gradients of
inclusiveness. Some scholars are too inclusive that they
define almost everything as political, while others exclude a
number of items , but they differ in what they exclude and
include. There are scholars who consider any activity that
involves power--who gets what ,when,and how--as political.
Leftwich 1984, 63
Some scholars locate politics in a collevtivity. They believe
that politics “is at the heart of all collective social activity,
formal and informal, public and private, in all human
groups, institutions and societies, not just some of them,
and that always has been and always will be” . They
believe that politics is the root of many problems that may
not look political. These scholars consider a medical
problem, such as the outbreak of epidemics, economic
problems like unemployment , famine, and poverty, social
problems manifested in crimes, as results of politics (64).
They believe that they have political explanations, but a through
understanding of them may need an interdisplinary approach and
that is
• Application of knowledge about society
• about psychology
• about the state
• about science
• technology
• about economics
 According to Michael Oakeshott
'Affairs of the state'implies thate there are affairs which do
not belong to the state and are not political.
personal affairs
relationship between lovers
among siblings
among friends
 There are social affairs like
• Birthday parties
• weddings
• meeting of a Rotary Club ot Lions Club.
• The state does not get involved in them a people do not
want to be and are not involved in politics.

• Politics is reserved to the statemen and statewomen

(Oakeshott 1962)
 McClealland 1966, 755
“Politics in the modern world obviously happen forthe most
part in nation-states--that is to say, in communities with a
certain past, with a certain social makeup and with a certain
set of arrangements for making political decisions. All these
are givens Politics in the famous Oakeshott phrase,
consists of 'attending to' these decision-making
arrangements”
 (778-790)
• Political discourse well then is about what is latently
present but not yet there, or, to put it another way, the
discussion of statesmen will be abput the right time and
the right way of responding to sympathy they feel for
what des not fully appear. Intimatitions come to those
who are already engaged in the practice of politics
(though there is no reason in principle why they should
be contained to practicing politicians ), but they do not
come singly. Intimations are like a signal from the world,
but one of the world's problems with the world is that
• sends many signals and sometimes so many that, taken
together, they constitute a noise. The art of politics lies in
being able to hear the separate signals clearly and
knowing which to respond to and which to ignore. The
statesmen have no set of prior criteria which tell him
which or what kind of intimations he ought to pursue
 David Easton (1959)
• further refines the meaning of politics as state affairs by
defining politics as the authoritive allocation of values is a
society. To Easton , an allocation of va;ues that is not
authoritative is not political and in society, it is the state
that has the authotrity to allocate values.
 Robert Dahl (1984)
• He defines politics as any activity involving human neing
associated together in relationship of power and authority
where conflict occurs. This is a less inclusive definition
than that of Easton, in the sense, that the use of power
and authority is political only when there is conflict. But in
another sense, it is more inclusive because the use of
power and authority is not limited to the state.
Still a narrower definition of politics is onMiller 1962, 19
e that relates it to government “Government is the arena of
politics, and, historically speaking the residue of past
politics.”
 Government
normally includes
making decisions,
politics and
implementing them.
 Decisions and policies are made through :
• Discussions
• Negotiation
• Compromise
• Promulgation of laws
• Rules
• Regulations
• Administrative orders
• Other form of expressing the outcome of discussion.
The laws, rules, regulations
and administrative orders
should be implemented.
The implementation aspect should no
longer be political. It should be a
routine .
• If even the ASPECT of government is still political, there
will be a lot of instability and unpredictability. In fact this ,
this is one of the occsions when citizens compalin about
“too much politics”
There is too much politics whene there is :
• Haggling
• Compromise
• Unpredictability is a situation when there should not be,
when there should no longer politics.
 Bernard Crick
• Bernard relates politics to state, but he does not believe
that there is politics in all states. To him, Politics does not
exist in a tyranny, or in a totalitarian state. neither does he
believe that it exists in a democracy where only the
majority is heard.
 Crick (1982, 141)
• “Politics is a way of ruling in divided societies without
violence.”

He asserts :
• “Why do certain interests have to be conciliated ? And the
answer is, of course , that they do npt have to be. Other
paths are always open, including violent means. Politics
is simply when they are Conciliated” (30)
 According to Crick
Politics and totalitarianism cannot be exist.

“There can be politics only when there is diversity . There

can be politics only when there is diversity. There can be no
diversity when everything is political. There is diversity only
When there are political and nonpolitical activies. In a
totalitarian state, everything is political and because of this ,
politics is annhilated (151)
Democracy is compatible
with politics, “indeed politics
can now scarely hope to
exist without it” (73).
 According to Alexis de Tocqueville (1969, 246-76)

• He warned us :

• tyranny of majority. It should be that kind f democracy

where there is equlity and liberty, respect for differences,
and a commitment to resolve them through compromises.
 Crick (1982, 21-22)
• Politics means compromises, but these compromises
“must in some sense be creative of future benefits--that
each exists for a further purpose.” Or at least, some
purpose, like “enabling orderly government to be carried
on at all”
• The only thing they all say common is that politics is a
relational activity

• The authorities we have mentioned are also in agreement

and that politics is a purpose activity. But, of course, while
politics is relational and purposive, not all activities that
are relational and purposive are political. That bring us
back to the issue of the existence of many correct
meaning and delimitations of politics.