I.

ARISTOTLE’S NICOMACHEAN ETHICS

Citizenship: Exercised/fulfilled without gov’t or non-state organizations

Aristotle Ethics
- An understanding of what is good (as a citizen/active agent of society and not only
in a virtuous sense)
A. Definition of the Subject and Nature of the “Problem”
 What it means to be good?
 What is good?
1. Every social activity aims at the good. (Has an important objective
and has to be thought out)
 Carefully discern activity
2. (What is the highest good of man?)
 Our knowledge of the highest good should have a great
influence on the way we live.
 Living – should be manifested through actions/words
3. Kinds of Good (Civic Virtue – Something in society that individuals
have access to)
a. That which is good for its own sake
 Refers to individuals
 For example: Freedom
b. That which is good for the sake of something else
 Refers to society
 For example: Justice
4. Since the good for all is better than the good for the individual, it is
the common good that we seek to understand
 Common good is not for everyone, but for the many
5. This is an inexact science (Common Good)
 Caused by social/cultural differences
B. The highest good of man: Happiness
 Not merely satisfaction and fulfillment but also the capability of taking on
some responsibilities)
1. Living well and doing well (Knowledge + Action)
2. Most common assumptions on happiness:
a. Wealth
b. Honor
c. Contemplation
o Capacity to rectify wrong doings
o Capability of correcting/changing things leads to
happiness

II. INTRODUCTION TO CIVIL SOCIETY

A. CIVIL SOCIETY
- Aspect of the public sphere where autonomous groups/individuals interact with
 each other in matters of collecting concern. (w/o unnecessary intervention, rather
with freedom).
- Major Groupings of Civil Society (Successfully addressing concerns for various
reasons):
a) Non-Governmental Organizations – advocacy
b) People’s Organizations – sectoral
c) Academe/Religious/Business/Media
1. Driver of Democracy and Democratic Changes
2. Contribute to social, political, and cultural transformative processes
3. Enables and widens participation (socio-political affairs);
 Protects citizens from abuses by the state;
 Guarantees the political accountability of the state
 Gives a lot of opportunities for the people to participate in the
activities that the government should be doing
 Civil societies make a government
answerable/accountable/responsible for actions
4. Makes possible the horizontal relations of reciprocity and cooperation
for mutual benefit
 Examples:
a. GK (Gawad Kalinga) – housing/livelihood/education
b. SWS (Social Weather Station - Research Organization) –
Approval Ratings

B. What constitutes Civil Society

 Any organizations that intersect with the domain of the state but are not
part of the state apparatus.
 Advocate social reform/social change

C. What are the Characteristics and Virtues associated with civil society
1. Plurality
 many/different operations
2. Diversity
 different advocacies/interests
3. Autonomy
 Absence of interventions/interference
4. Tolerance
 Understanding/acknowledgement
5. Cooperation
 Willingness/voluntary participation

A. Inclusive view of civil society

 Addresses the entire spectrum of associational life (any individual can
belong to any social organization)
B. Exclusive view of civil society (Critical of government)
 Question authority
  Contest state power

DOING A CSO STUDY

I. Objective: Explore the dynamics (interaction) and opportunities of CT in theory and
practice
II. Research Question: How CSOs promote active citizen engagement?
III. Descriptive/Instrumental Case Study
 Narrative of the history/goals or vision of the CSO
 Find out how the CSO contributes to citizen engagement (general -> specific)
IV. Methods: Review of Related Literature
 Pertains to the general area of concern of the CSO
 Description of the chosen CSO
 Key informant interviews (Data Gathering Technique)
 Head, Staff or Beneficiary
 Ideally face-to-face
 Survey
 Ideally for those who benefit from the CSO
V. Develop your own outline
 How would you present your paper? What would be the contents of your
paper?
VI. Provide Recommendations
 What further courses of action is needed for CSO or specific area of concern?

I. DIMENSIONS OF GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP

1. Contractual Nature of Citizenship
 Citizenship is ordinarily understood within the confines of the nation-state
 “Agreement”
2. Being a “Global Citizen” is performative in nature.
 Performative of the different components of Citizenship:
 A. Participation: From Liberal Democracy to Information Society
Question: What conditions are required for effective citizen participation?
1) Distributive Democracy
o Share in power/authority
o Every citizen should have a say in what would happen
2) Access to Information (Right Knowledge)
o Provides criteria in forming sound judgements
o “Information Society” – the one who is powerful is the one
who knows more.
B. Duties: Natural Interest -> survival of the Planet
o The contractual nature of CT ought to be elevated to the
ecological level.
C. Rights: Human Rights as the common foundation of Humanity
(Citizenship to Humanity)
o Ex: Rights as a Filipino CT (particular), rights as a person
(universal)
D. Membership
Question: What does membership represent/mean?
1) Traditionally: formal recognition by the state
2) Modern Society: Identification/affiliation to an ideology/cultural
movement

NATION-STATE GLOBAL SOCIETY

Membership “assimilationist” “pluralistic”
Liberties
Rights Human Rights
(acts with limited intervention)
Duties National Interest Globalism (International Concerns)
Participatio
Representation Information Society
n

*Citizenship in a nation-state is restrictive since it can only be exercised within the

confines/jurisdiction of a certain state*
*Citizenship in a Global Society knows no borders or perhaps less restrictions*

I. CITIZENSHIP & IMMIGRATION

1. Citizenship can be defined as membership to a political/geographic community
2. Reasons of Immigration:
a. Social – Ex: Chaos/Violence
b. Political – Ex: Escape political persecution by the government
c. Economic – Ex: Individuals or groups seek opportunities in order to improve
well-being
3. Challenges confronting immigrants:
a. Social Cohesion – maintaining harmony
b. Participation – engagement in social/political affairs
 4. Issues of Nationhood and Regulation:
 “In an environment full of various individuals, how can we achieve
nationhood?”
 Regulation – application of norms/rules to immigrants (how do we regulate
people originating from different societies? How can they be granted
citizenship rights?)
5. Rethink the dimensions/components of citizenship
 Citizenship within nation-states
 Citizenship beyond/across nation-states
 Certain qualifications/issues on the dimension of Citizenship
 Immigration – process of inclusion/exclusion
 Dimensions:
a. Legal Status – obligations
b. Belongingness - membership
c. Rights
d. Participation

II. CITIZENSHIP WITHIN NATION-STATE BORDERS

 Aims at achieving and maintaining assimilation/cohesion
1. Ethnicity vs. Civic Participation
 Basis/bases of citizenship rights
 Ethnicity – coming from the same race
 Participation – level of engagement in socio-political affairs
2. Group Rights & Multi-Culturalism
a. Policy Guideline
b. Description of Society
c. Recognition of Differences in Society
3. Participation & Assimilation
 Is participation a prerequisite for effective assimilation/integration
 Obligation/expectation from immigrants
*Legal Status regulating CT
*Participation within national borders

III. CITIZENSHIP BEYOND/ACROSS BORDERS

1. Beyond Borders
a. Cosmopolitanism
 Identities transcend boundaries
b. Post Nationalism
 Declining relevance of the state
2. Across Borders
a. Transnationalism
 Extend/expand/diffuse social, economic, and political processes
b. Dual Citizenship
 Legal attachment to multiple societies
 Allegiances/loyalties span/extend borders (Issue)
  Participation State of
 Social integration the individual

IV. CONCLUSIONS
1. Whether immigrant’s life chances are better than non-immigrants? – natives
2. Perhaps what matters most is political participation which entails decision-making
3. Participation is a necessary prerequisite for effective integration