Politics

 “Man is by nature a political animal.” –Aristotle, Politics

(Father of Political Science)
 The inclination and interest of people toward
anything political is based on the fact that individuals are
inherently social.
 Heywood (2013) defined politics as an activity that involves the
interaction of people, whose relationship is characterized by conflict
and cooperation, and who come together to solve such
disagreements through binding solutions. However, politics is no
utopian solution.
 The Different Views on Politics

Views on Politics: Description of Politics

Art of government Politics concerns the state. It focuses on the personnel and machinery of the government.

Public Affairs The conduct and management of public interest.

Compromise and Consensus Attempts to resolve conflict through discussion, compromise, bargaining, and consensus, wherein people arrive at a
binding decision.

Power and the distribution of resources Politics involves the exercise of authority in the production, distribution, and use of resources. This describes who
gets what and under what circumstances.
What is a Government?
 Government is the instrument of the state through which the will of
the people
 is expressed, carried out, and formulated. The state and government
are commonly used interchangeably, but in strict political science
terms, they definitely mean two different things.
 Government and governance are also used with confusion to
a large extent. It is the government which concretizes the policies
and addresses the problem of the state. On the other hand, good
governance arises when the government involves the people in its
agenda and in the process of policy making.
The Study of Politics

To study politics entails using different approaches or

perspectives. A political scientist also uses tools in
understanding the political world, just like how chemists or
physicist use a set of tools in their own fields.
Heywood (2013) summed up these major schools of
thought in political science.
 Philosophical tradition, otherwise known as political
philosophy, is regarded as the tradition approach to
politics. This tradition underscored the analytical study of
doctrines that have become the major focus of political
thought.
 Empirical tradition. Political scientist who
advocate this approach believe that any account of
political reality must be impartial and should thus
be tested through observation.
 Scientific tradition. This tradition promotes objective and
quantifiable ways of studying politics. The scientific
tradition was further pushed with the rise of
behavioralism, or the belief that social theories should
arise from observation and quantifiable data.
PICTURE ME

Study the following illustration and explain what it means. Write your answer on the box.

ILLUSTRATION 1 ILLUSTRATION 2
Political Ideas and Ideologies
 Whether you are conscious or not, ideas govern individual behaviour and conduct.
What you believe to be most important and what you value the most, shape and
reshape the way you behave.
 Political Ideology – is more or less coherent set of ideas that direct or organize a
specific political action. (Heywood 2013). Political ideologies are so powerful
that they do not only direct individual behaior. They also shape the structure of a
government, a political system, and an entire country.
The following are several definitions of political
ideology according to Heywood (2013)
 A political belief system
 An action-oriented set of political ideas
 The ideas of the ruling class
 The world-view of a particular social class or social group
 Political ideas that embody or articulate class or social interests
 Ideas that propagate false consciousness amongst the exploited or oppressed
 Ideas that situate the individual within a social context and generate a sense of collective
belonging
 An officially sanctioned set of ideas used to legitimize a political system or regime
 An all-embracing political doctrine that claims a monopoly of truth
 An abstract and highly systematic set of political ideas.
MAJOR POLITICAL IDEOLOGIES:
KEY IDEAS AND THEORIES
MAJOR POLITICAL IDEOLOGIES: KEY IDEAS AND THEORIES

MAJOR POLITICAL IDEOLOGIES KEY TENETS

Liberalism  Believe in individualism, liberty, equality and tolerance.

 Authority and social relationships must also be based on agreement or consent.

Conservatism  Tradition must be conserved and authority must be exercised from above.
 Human imperfection presents the pessimistic view of conservatives on the individual. Individuals are morally corrupt and are therefore the
sources of crime and disorder.

Socialism  Belief in the community that shares common humanity like brotherhood/fraternity.
 Socialist put primary on social equality over other values. This is believed to be the basis for social stability and cohesion.

Marxism  A political and social theory that argues that social change comes about through economic class struggle. Or a communist society.
 A communist society-one that is classless and stateless-will arise when class antagonism fade.

Social Democracy  Promotes capitalism and the distribution of wealth according to moral than market principles.
 Compassion, common humanity, freedom, equal opportunities, paternal duty, and care are among the values social democracy recognizes.

Fascism  They work for a totalitarian one-party state. This aim is to prepare the nation for armed conflict, and to respond to economic difficulties.
 Party and electoral competition are thus corrupt and degenerate.
Anarchism  Stateless society, individuals can best manage their own affairs through voluntary agreement and cooperation.
 Rejects the state outright, believing it to be an unnecessary evil.

Feminism  Society is characterized by sexual or gender inequality. Enhancing the social role of women.
 It has an anti-character: antiliberalism, anti-individualism, anticaptalism, etc.

Green Politics/ Ecologism  Linked with the emergence of environmental movement and concerned with the damages brought by economic development and
declining quality of human existence.

Cosmopolitanism  Focuses on the idea that all other people in the world have obligations to each other regardless of nationality, ethnicity, and the like.
 Ideological expression of globalization.
Study the illustration below and write your answer on the box.
What political values or ideas inherent in the political ideologies presented does the picture depict? Share your thoughts in the box.
Match column A to column B. Write your answers on the space provided.
A B
_____1. Karl Marx is one of the proponent of this political a. social democracy
ideology. b. socialism
_____ 2. The traditions must be conserved in this type of c. feminism
political ideology. d. liberalism
_____ 3. Women protect their rights and enhance the e. Marxism
social role of women. f. cosmopolitanism
_____ 4. Individuals freedom is protected. g. green politics
_____ 5. It has an anti-character: antiliberalism, h. fascism
anti-individualism, anticapitalism, etc. i. conservatism
_____ 6. This ideology expresses globalization. j. anarchism
_____ 7. This ideology is linked with the emergence of
environmental movement.
_____ 8. It stands for a balance between the market
(wealth) and the state.