MODULE 8: POLITICAL ETHICS AND THE WEBERIAN VIEW ON POLITICS AS A VOCATION

Learning Outcomes

• communicate the fundamental concepts about political ethics

• appraise the utmost ethical and legal standards of governance in the current political arena
• apply Weberian ideas and principles in the current Philippine political condition

INTRODUCTION

As your learning journey in pol sci 102 ends, this module presents to you the fundamental principles of
political ethics and their application in governance. You will be learning the contextualization of Max
Weber’s Politics as Vocation in the Philippine political arena.

Political ethics as defined in the 2013 International Encyclopedia of Ethics, is the practice of moral
judgments about political actions and the study of such practice. Political ethics is also known as political
morality or public ethics. In terms of application, it has two broad domains namely:

1.) Ethics of process: focuses on the politicians and the methods they use in governance

2.) Ethics of policy: focuses on the moral soundness of laws, policies, and actions done by the
government

In the Philippine government, the utmost ethical standards for public officials were enshrined in
Republic Act 6713 or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees. The
law emphasizes the 8 fundamental norms of conduct in public office such as commitment to public
interest, professionalism, justness and sincerity, political neutrality, responsiveness to the needs of the
public, nationalism and patriotism, commitment to democracy, and simple living.

In practice, the mere fact that a public servant who does not spend all paid hours of work is already
STEALING from the Filipino people. This is the precursor of the corrupt government.

The 13 Ugly Truths About Politicians. The following statements are based on Christopher Bueno’s 2012
article on ethics and morality in politics. The 13 Ugly Truths About Politicians is a satirical anecdote that
described the common behavior public servants.

By analyzing the general political condition of Philippine politics and governance, try to answer this
tabular presentation by putting a checkmark inside the column that best describes your perception per
item.

Premises (The 13 Ugly Truth About Politicians) Agree Disagree

1. Politicians disguise to serve for the people not for themselves.
2. They never enjoy power and authority because they are busy
serving the people.
3. They never tell negatives things about themselves.
4. They lie for the sake of winning.
5. They believe that there is meager income in this job.
6. They pretend to be honest, humble, compassionate, adorable,
and lovable of all people in the world.
7. They never say NO to gain more votes.
 8. They serve for the sake of position.
9. They always smile and shake your hands during election period.
10. They always make promises which are usually broken after
election.
11. They are very talkative during public speaking engagement.
12. They love to be recognized for the implemented projects. 13. They are
the most interesting people in the world.
12. They love to be recognized for the implemented projects. 13. They are
the most interesting people in the world.

Sentence Completion:

I believe that politics could be an ethical practice if

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

For Filipinos, politics is dirty because

_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________

POLITICS AS VOCATION is the second lecture series delivered by Max Weber (Science as Vocation is the
first lecture series). The lecture was delivered in German but its official English translation was only
released after the second World War. The intended audience of this speech was the Free Students
Union of Bavaria.

The following are the significant themes accentuated in the speech. The module also contextualized
these themes in the Philippine political conditions.

Theme 1: The Characterization of the State and its Roles

In Weber’s speech, the state is characterized as a powerful entity that has the capacity to distribute
political power among its members. It is the sole institution that has the right to use violence for its
survival. As political institution, the state should operate under its auxiliaries (government agencies) to
govern the relationships of people seeking for dominance over one another.

Theme 2: The Presence of Legitimate Authority

Legitimate authority is a key element for the stability of the state. In the Philippines, politicians gained
legitimate authority if they won the election or they were appointed by a legitimate ruler to whom
his/her legitimacy originated from the will of the people and under the operation of laws.

In his speech, Max Weber classified three forms of legitimate authority namely:

1) Traditional authority: prevalent among monarchial states (UK government)

2) Charismatic authority: prevalent in populist states or states governed under fascist regimes
(Germany under Hitler’s regime)
3) Rational-legal authority: prevalent in states governed in the principle of constitutionalism and
democracy (Philippine government)

In relation to the economic standing of the state, sustaining a legitimate political power necessitates
good economic institutions for this could result in tremendous investments that will facilitate public
spending.

Theme 3: The Rise of Professional Politicians

All politicians in public office started as occasional politicians (starting stage; neophytes in the field) but
as they gained more experiences in leadership and re-elected for several times, they can be known as
professional or seasoned politicians. Professional politicians are the epitomes of political power
appropriation (proper possession and execution of power in the government). They already crafted the
means to sustain in political power by gaining remarkable popularity among electorates. However, these
professional politicians could become abusive and corrupt if they were unchecked in the eyes of the
public.

Some lists of professional or seasonal politicians in the Philippine politics:

1.) President Rodrigo Duterte

2.) Senator Maria Imelda Jose “Imee” Marcos
3.) Former VP Jejomar Binay
4.) Senator Richard Gordon
5.) Former Governor Faustino Dy III (Isabela province)
6.) Vigan Mayor Carlo Medina
7.) The father-son tandem “Ediboy & Josh Cobangbang” (Cabugao, Ilocos Sur)
8.) The sibling-tandem “Alan Peter & Pia Cayetano”

Theme 4: Politics as a Profession and a Vocation

Politicians could perceive politics as one of the following:

1.) Living-for-politics: Politicians should be economically sufficient before entering in public service
and must not perceive a government position as means of economic gains. Economic privilege is
not a priority for politicians living for politics.

Situations:
• Manny Pacquiao was economically sufficient before he entered in politics.
• The Villar spouses (Manny Villar and Cynthia Villar) before they ran in public position
 2.) Living-off-politics: Politicians perceived politics as means of perpetual income. For them, politics
has two-sided mirror (serving others while serving oneself).

Situations:
• The case of political dynasties in your locality
• The rampant political rivalries that may result to political killings and electoral sabotage during
electoral period

Theme 5: Guiding Principles for Political Leaders

Political leaders must be educated enough to govern the people. They should avoid biases and selfish
beliefs. Leaders should not promote spoils system and patronage politics. Instead, they should be the
epitome of “ira et stadium” (taking a stand on something with integrity and firmness).

Theme 6: Ethics of Politics In the speech, Weber emphasized that doing politics could be understood
into two paradigms namely:

1. Ethic of ultimate ends (Utilitarian ethics): it justifies the premise “The ends justify the
means.” For instance, this paradigm supports war as means of achieving peace and
violence as means of demanding respect.
2. Ethic of absolute ends: it emphasizes the purity of morally correct acts. This paradigm
negates all irrational practices in the society that may result to violence and selective
justice such as racial discrimination, culture of impunity, political factions, and political
killings. For instance, the paradigm suggests inter-group dialogues to achieve peace and
order instead of engaging to war.

For Weber, the application of these ethical paradigms should result to the improvement of lives of the
citizens. Otherwise, this could defeat the purpose of being ethical in practice. In politics, the quality of
lives of the people is the primordial thrust in governance. Leaders rule for the attainment of social
progress and social order. They govern to make the lives of the people better.

Theme 7: Source of Ethics in Politics

For Max Weber, there are significant sources of ethics in doing governance. Accordingly, religious
doctrines are the most evident sources of ethical standards in governance. Religion is an immediate
source of ethical standards among leaders of state. The following are the religions mentioned in his
speech and their contributions to ethical governance.

a. Christianity: emphasizes doctrine of salvation for it posits that God entrusted the state
to some people through “consilia evangelica” (charisma of holy life). The
trustees/assigned leaders of God’s sovereign power on Earth should lead the people to
explore the goodness of life and transform themselves into purposeful and productive
beings (being a blessing to others).
b. Protestantism: emphasizes of doctrine of absolutism. It posits that state as divine
institution may legitimize violence as means of defending the faith, protecting the lives
of the abused, and abolishing wrong social teachings. In principle, leadership commands
obedience and rational fear to maintain social order.
 c. Hinduism: emphasizes of doctrine of dharma. The society should follow the caste
system as this implies moral order. Caste system posits that people has distinct roles in
the society; hence, the state should provide opportunities and obligations in which each
person could utilize his/her talents and skills. All roles of the people are contributory to
the progress and development of the state.

Analyzing the content of his speech, Max Weber encouraged the rise of a “virtuous and politically
mature politician”. A virtuous politician is someone who is aware of the consequences of his actions and
is not doing blame-shifting if unwanted circumstances occurred. Also, a mature politician is an epitome
of integrity and public morality. He/she always makes his/her message clear to the public and explains
him/herself political beliefs.

Ten Virtues of Outstanding Leaders

Leadership and character are inseparable. In the Ten Virtues of Outstanding Leaders, philosophers Al
Gini and Ronald Green, ask what is good leadership? They insist "that ethics, character, and virtue are
essential to real leadership" and anything else is misleadership.

They define leadership as:

Leadership is not just a set of learned skills, a series of outcomes, a career, a profession, or a title.
Leadership, at its core, is about character: specifically, a character attuned to its ethical responsibilities
to others. The kind of character that, in regard to others, always tries to do the right thing, for the right
reason, on purpose.

They suggest ten virtues or traits of character and as such they describe not just a leader's behavior but
a clear sense of the way a leader thinks; the beliefs and motivations behind their actions. They note that
these virtues are fragmentary in that they can exist apart from one another and rarely does any leader
possess all of them.

1. Deep Honesty. Not just truth-telling but a bias for the truth. "It describes the leader's basic
commitment to the truth, and a sense of shame or anger when deceitfulness replaces truth-telling."
(James Burke, Johnson & Johnson)

2. Moral Courage. "Here one confronts a multitude of things that terrify people: fear of criticism or
embarrassment; fear of poverty or job loss; fear of losing friends or being ostracized—even fear of being
seen to be in the wrong. Overcoming self-doubt can be an expression of courage." Courageous leaders
hold fast to their values and purpose even when there is no certainty that they will prevail. Courage is of
particular importance because unlike the virtue of honesty, is not an aim in itself but it supports other
moral claims. As such, philosopher Robert Merrihew Adams describes courage as a "structural virtue."
(Abraham Lincoln and Rosa Parks)

3. Moral Vision. Great leaders not only "exhibit moral courage, they are also able to understand the
meaning of the values they fight for and the importance of ethics in both human life and in the life of
organizations and communities." They understand the consequences of ethical values and are able to
share it with others. (Winston Churchill)

4. Compassion and Care. The ability to connect with and resonate to the needs of their followers.
Leadership is a relationship. (Oprah Winfrey)

5. Fairness. Leaders should be fair in executing policies across the board. Fairness reinforces followers'
trust. Everyone is special but not different. (Dwight D. Eisenhower)

7. Creative Thinking. A tendency toward independence and creativity in thinking. It may show itself "in
new ways of accomplishing organizational goals, and even of redefining those goals." In periods of great
change a "premium is placed on leaders who can come up with original solutions or approaches." (Herb
Kelleher)

8. Aesthetic Sensitivity. This virtue is not just an appreciation of the creation of beauty, but an ability to
leverage it for the organizations advantage. "By paying attention to the aesthetic dimensions of their
enterprise, outstanding leaders pioneer new products and services and actively shape the tastes of
millions." (Steve Jobs)

9. Good Timing. This, like courage, is another structural virtue. It is necessary for the pursuit of any
worthy goal. "Like deep honesty, good timing defies superficial outer appraisal. A leader who waits the
precise moment to act may appear indecisive to those who urge a quicker response. Such a leader must
also have the courage to weather criticisms." (Charles de Gaulle)

10. Deep Selflessness. The willingness to sacrifice oneself. In moments of great organizational
uncertainty or crisis, a leader's self-sacrifice "could send a clear message as to what kind of conduct is
needed to overcome the crisis and how earnestly the leader is committed to the cause of the
organization. It conveys to followers the leader's strong conviction that 'we can do it,' and is an earnest
invitation to participate." (Martin Luther King Jr.)