THE CONCEPT OF POLITICS

&
DIFFERENT APPROACHES to POLITICS

Ankara University Faculty of Law

GENERAL THEORY of STATE COURSE

( LEM-214 )

IN GENERAL

The subject of politics is "power".

If the world were a "heaven on earth", there would be no need for politics.

The parties to the power relationship:

Rulers/power holders: They want to maintain their power.

Rivals of power holders: They want to seize power.

The ruled: They want to be sure of (the arbitrary use of) power.

CONCEPT

Politics (Siyaset/Politika in Turkish)

Politics is derived from "polis" .

It means police work.

According to Aristotle, politics is the most virtuous human activity.

Polites : (in Ancient Greek polis) citizen

The word «siyaset» is of Arabic origin.

Its first meaning is «horse care»!!!

In the Turkish-Islamic tradition

State administration (art)

Penalties for crimes against the state or for maintaining public order

political murder
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CONCEPT

Definitions of politics will also change according to how the concept is perceived. We are faced with
perceptions of politics, good or bad.

Ex: Politics as a/an

Art

Science

Activity that should be avoided because it is bad

The Relationship between Politics and Violence

In everyday language, politics is used to express the peaceful resolution of problems.

Does politics include violence as an element?

“War is an extension of politics by other means” (Carl von Clausewitz, On War).

A true war is a war with political aims.

The state has a monopoly on the legitimate use of force. Political power actually uses this power. To both
use and protect power.

In that case, it would not be wrong to say that politics includes the element of violence.

A very negative view of politics: Oppenheimer

People have two completely opposite options for making a living:

Working and stripping.

First, work is based on one's own labor. = ECONOMY

Second, the gratuitous confiscation (robbery) of others' possessions = POLITICS

Politics is seen by many as a "dirty" concept.

The same fate has been inevitable for politicians.

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TWO DIFFERENT FACES OF POLITICS

The essence of politics can be explained as « the process of resolving conflicts ».

conflict on one side of the concept and compromise on the other .

Different demands in society cause competition and conflicts of interest.

These intersecting demands do not cause conflict; It is necessary to try to meet them peacefully without
disturbing the social order.

Politics comes into play at this stage.

DIFFERENT POLITICAL APPROACHES

Politics as the art of government

Politics as public life

Politics as compromise and harmony

Politics as the distribution of power and resources

POLITICS AS THE ART OF GOVERNMENT

It reflects the classical view of politics.

It is an understanding that keeps the scope of the concept of politics quite "narrow".

It focused only on "state power" and "government apparatus".

«Practices of authority»

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POLITICS AS THE ART OF GOVERNMENT (2)

In this understanding, "politics" is confined only to the apparatus of government; namely, ministry
buildings, legislatures, government offices, in short, a very specific and limited group.

All social groups (NGOs) are seen outside the realm of politics.
This understanding of politics is also closed to international and global influences and processes.

This understanding of politics reflects an understanding from the days when nation states were the only
actors in world events.

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POLITICS AS THE ART OF GOVERNMENT (3)

It is such a narrow understanding that, apart from politicians, even bureaucrats are considered outside
the field of politics.

Limiting politics to state affairs also contributes to negative and even condescending attitudes towards
this concept/activity.

It can be seen as the activity of people who seek power and act with their personal ambitions.

Politics can be regarded as a self-serving, hypocritical, unprincipled activity.

Machiavelli

Liberal understanding: “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely” (Lord Acton)

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POLITICS AS THE «ART» OF GOVERNMENT (4)

Criticism of this opinion:

These views are skeptical that politics is an inevitable and permanent feature of social existence.

So, how do we protect society from falling into conflict if there is no politics necessary for the formation
of authority and the fulfillment of its duties?

The solution should not be sought in ending politics, but in preventing the abuse of power.

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POLITICS AS «PUBLIC LIFE»

It offers a broader understanding of politics than the previous understanding of politics.

Politics = Public life + Public activities

The division "public" and the "private" determine the difference between the political and the non-
political.

In this view, the field of politics can also be determined by the distinction between "public sphere" and
"private sphere".

public sphere = state

Private sphere = civil society

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POLITICS AS PUBLIC LIFE (2)

Public = institutions of the state

Private = family, kinship groups, private businesses, unions, associations etc.

Politics is limited only to the activities of the state itself and the responsibilities carried out by public
bodies.

The economic, social, cultural, personal and domestic activities that individuals carry out for themselves
are in the private sphere and are outside of politics.

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POLITICS AS PUBLIC LIFE (3)

An alternative Public-Private distinction defines the field of politics through the concepts of "political"
and "personal".

Accordingly, although civil society is a separate domain from the state, it still encompasses a range of
public institutions.

An indication of this is our political demands that have moved from the private to the public sphere.

For example, it cannot be said that there is no politics in our workplaces, associations and unions.

Feminists also object to this, arguing that a narrow definition of politics refers to a concept that "cannot
enter the house", "cannot find a place in personal relationships".

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POLITICS AS PUBLIC LIFE (4)

This understanding of politics can have both positive and negative aspects.

It can be understood as a basis for preventing undesirable interference with society.

For this purpose, liberals want to keep the civic space wide and narrow the political space. Because they
see the private space as an area of individual freedoms, responsibilities and choice. Politics should not
interfere with them.

However, it is not always easy to separate the private from the public.

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POLITICS AS RECONCILIATION AND HARMONY

Politics is understood as a means of reconciliation.

It is not related to the process of making political decisions; It is result and solution oriented.

This understanding of politics is loaded with positive connotations.

In this understanding, politics is seen as a civilized and civilizing force.

Politics, participation in politics and politicians are evaluated from a more positive perspective.

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POLITICS AS DISTRIBUTION OF POWER & RESOURCES

It is the approach that gives the broadest definition of politics.

Politics is seen as an activity that exists in all areas of social relations .

In all areas of social relations,

Where there are people, there is politics.

There is politics in every collective activity.

A radical perspective on politics…

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POLITICS AS DISTRIBUTION OF POWER & RESOURCES (2)

What is the distinguishing feature of political activity?

Politics is about three activities:

Production

Share

Use of resources

“Politics: determining who gets where, when, and what” (Harold Laswell)

From this point of view, politics is based on a 'division', the cause of which is 'scarcity'.
Politics is a struggle over limited resources.

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POLITICS AS DISTRIBUTION OF POWER & RESOURCES (3)

Politics is essentially "power".

In particular, the views of feminists and Marxists on politics are within the framework of the concept of
"power".

Feminist theorists react to the classical understanding of politics keeping women out of the political
sphere by confining women to the "private" sphere, inside the home. Because in this case, the
dominance in the field of "public" is dominated by men, and women are excluded from the field of
politics.

"The private is political!"

Relationships within the family are just as political as employee-employer or government-citizen

relations.

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POLITICS AS DISTRIBUTION OF POWER & RESOURCES (4)

From the point of view of Marxist theory, politics is part of the superstructure and political power is the
oppression of an organized class over others.

Politics is rooted in class contradictions.

"Politics is the most concentrated form of economy" (Lenin)

The belief that politics exists in a limited space is itself a political attitude.

Civil society is the center of politics as an area where class conflicts persist.

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POLITICS AS DISTRIBUTION OF POWER & RESOURCES (5)

Marxist and feminist understandings of politics approach politics from a negative point of view. This is
because politics is seen as a tool of oppression and intimidation.

Traditional politics in capitalist society is shaped by the exploitation of the working class by the bourgeois
(Marxist theory)

Feminists state that women are oppressed in a male-dominated society.

However, these negative meanings are balanced by the intervention of politics as a means to challenge
this injustice and inequality.

Proletarian revolution (establishment of classless society) or gender politics…

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An Understanding of Politics Based on the Friend - Enemy Distinction: Carl Schmitt

For Carl Schmitt, the political is reducible to the existential distinction between friend and enemy.

Carl Schmitt: Who is Sovereign and What is the State of «Exception»?

According to Schmitt, "Sovereign is he who decides on the exception.«

Although the sovereign "stands outside the normally valid legal system, he nevertheless belongs to it".
Sovereignty is more than the technical: it is the personal privilege of the ruler.

Exceptional circumstances not defined in the current legal order;

Exception is present where an extreme necessity occurs, which means the existence of the state or
something similar (matter of life and death).

It is not possible to detect and codify this situation in advance.

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Carl Schmitt: The Practical Consequence of the State of Exception

The meaning of his words is:

The principle that the sovereignty belongs to the nation or the parliament and our constitutional
guarantees are actually just a fairy tale under some conditions*.

Or, these safeguards are at least largely losing their significance.

What is important for a society from a political point of view,

these exceptional situations that shape the future of that society; and

The authorities that decide on the exceptional case.

*These conditions are the «exception».

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Carl Schmitt: The main features of his understanding of politics

Politics and government are different. Politics existed before the state. Politics does no need to the state.

There is «power» in the nature of politics.

What is important for a state is not having a perfect constitution, but the existence of a political regime
that can solve problems and resolve social conflicts.

We have one criterion for determining whether a relationship is political: the "friend-enemy
relationship"

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Carl Schmitt: The main features of the understanding of politics

The politician must be able to identify his friends and enemies.

The main thing in politics is to set aside all moral and legal considerations and to identify the enemy(ies)
and take action against him/them.

It doesn't matter if the enemy is really a threat: even the "probability" of a future conflict with him is
enough.

The enemy need not be "evil".

For the existence of the political sphere in a society, there is absolutely a need for a "foreigner" or
"other".

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