Chapter 4:

Physical, Social,& Cultural Aspect of Politics

edited and supplemented by Prof. Levy
 Guiding Question

• How does the larger environment influence politics and

political science?

Simon, The Challenge of Politics 6e. CQ

Press, 2020.
 Politics Does Not Occur In a Vacuum

• Politics influenced by a variety of things:

– Physical world in which we live

– Our biological, physiological, psychological aspects
– Social communities we have built
– Cultural universe we have created

Simon, The Challenge of Politics 6e. CQ

Press, 2020.
 The Physical World That We Live In

• An understanding of the physical world to limits,

capabilities, dangers, and opportunities in politics

Simon, The Challenge of Politics 6e. CQ

Press, 2020.
Video on Population from UN

Simon, The Challenge of Politics 6e. CQ

Press, 2020.
Drawing on Reading, Video, and Your Brains
in a small group…
• What is the world’s current population?
• What is “carrying capacity?”
• What UN body focuses on population? Which subfield
of political science would most likely study this body?
• Did you notice any difference in tones in how the book
and the video frame population growth? Explain.
• What is population density? Which countries have the
highest and lowest?
• Name five valuable major and finite resources.

Simon, The Challenge of Politics 6e. CQ

Press, 2020.
 Some Key Physical Factors

• Population “tidal wave”

– Earth’s population = 7.6 billion,
may reach 9.8 billion by 2050
– Distribution of population also a concern
– Finite resources
• Environmental degradation

Simon, The Challenge of Politics 6e. CQ

Press, 2020.
 Natural Resources
• Having an abundance The case of Venezuela
of natural resources
can pose challenges
as well as
opportunities.

Simon, The Challenge of Politics 6e. CQ

Press, 2020.
 Sources (that aren’t already hyperlinked)

• Photo of oil pollution, derelict oil machinery in Venezuela: Fabiola Ferrara

for the Wall Street Journal.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/former-hub-of-venezuelas-oil-wealth-turns-to
-hunger-and-rust-1516357801

Simon, The Challenge of Politics 6e. CQ

Press, 2020.
The Biological, Physiological, Psychological
and Social Creatures That We Are
• Given human needs, how do we explain conflict,
aggression, and war? Are they rooted in our biological
nature?
• Why does discrimination on the basis of biological
differences persist?

Simon, The Challenge of Politics 6e. CQ

Press, 2020.
 Some Key Factors in Understanding
Human Beings
• Human needs
• Propensity for cooperation and conflict
• Struggles with racism and sexism

Simon, The Challenge of Politics 6e. CQ

Press, 2020.
 The Social Communities That We Have
Built
• How are the social communities that we have built a
response to our biological needs and the physical
world?
• How are these communities influenced by
psychological needs, by methods of earning a living
and carrying out our economic activities, by
developments in science and technology, and by
historical memory?

Simon, The Challenge of Politics 6e. CQ

Press, 2020.
 Key Factors in the Social Communities
That We Have Built
• The socio-psychological setting of politics
• The economic environment of politics—wealth and
poverty
• The sociological setting of politics—religion, race,
ethnicity, and class
• The scientific and technological environment of politics
—science for peaceful purposes versus weapons
technology
• The historical setting of politics—interstate wars, civil
wars, revolutions, the rise and fall of great powers,
periods of freedom and periods of repression
Simon, The Challenge of Politics 6e. CQ
Press, 2020.
 The Cultural Universe That We Have
Created
• Have freedom, reason, and progress held up as
keystones of modern culture and politics?
• Can religion play an integral role in striking cultural
balance? In what ways does religion influence politics?

Simon, The Challenge of Politics 6e. CQ

Press, 2020.
 Some Key Factors in Addressing Culture
and Politics
• The culture of the Enlightenment
• Cultural balance between admiration of the
Enlightenment and harsh criticism of it

Simon, The Challenge of Politics 6e. CQ

Press, 2020.