Lydia N. Yu Jose
Discussion by: BELER, ROMANO KRIS G.
According to Aristotle a human being is political animal he is not human but beast or God if he could live outside the state (state = small city state; example: Athens) this is said so for during that time the population is not that big compare to the present and with this it is not hard for them to participate in politics. During that time almost everything was political. Let’s now consider the present time where we are living in the Nation- States with bigger population. Can we still say that politics affects us? We may say that politics does not affect us or we can avoid it. At the time we reach legal age we may choose to vote or not. But then from the time of our birth till our death politics affect us. We say that POLITICS affects us but then What is politics? Many philosophers and political scientist try to give their own version of defining politics. For Michael Oakeshott politics is the affairs of the state, for David Easton it is the authoritative allocation of values in society. For some philosopher such as Dahl, Crick etc. it is different but all of them believed that politics is a Relational Activity. From our previous professor we define politics as a social activity that deals with scarcity and diversity that leads to conflict which is the heart of politics. (injectko after nitoung different approaches to define politics by: Heywood)
Three basic attitudes towards politics : active participation, rejection and indifference. Active participation means the involvement of the citizens,it is the accountability of the citizens. During the time ancient Greece there was active involvement and direct rule by citizens. But according to Plato every citizen is part of the state but not everyone can rule because of this he proposed the nocturnal council/watchdog (at present time this is the three branches and the ombudsman). Aristotle opposed this idea for he was concerned about the rule of law what was more important for him is that no one is above the law even the ruler. Rejection and Indifference it can be classified into Skeptics, Cynics, Stoics(submissive and rebellious). When we say skeptics it is the people, who does not care about state affairs as long as the state protect them and their property, cynics on the other hand are the people who believed that there progress is at there hand. Stoics submissive, people who just accept what was given as long as he knows to distinguish what is wrong from right. (itoungmgataongginagawaungsinasabingestadonghindinagrereklamo). On the contrary is the rebellious type this is the people who fight for what is dictated by his conscience. (itoungmgataonglumalabankahitnaikamatay pa nila as long as they are fighting for what is his/her conscience is dictating them). Does the size of the political unit matter? No, it is dependent on the quality of the citizens.
Participation and Democracyin a state like Philippines who claims to be democratic where in it is ruled by the people with this definition participation of the citizens is a must. The presence of election is a minimal requirement for democracy. It is not enough to vote for it should be guarded. The result must be true, clean and honest. Participating is not limited in election process we could participate even in writing to our representative, expressing our opinion in the letter to the editor of newspaper, rallies etc. Democracy requires participation and it has to be patient, free and peaceful participation. The presence o violence to settle conflict kills the idea of democracy and politics.
Note:
I did not mention all definition of politics by diff. philosophers.
My discussion does not include scope of politics, political science and definition of terms for I don’t know how to connect
Further information will be added as long as I see the power point and read the discussion of Ella. (just in case it will be chosen)
Conclusion of the discussion will be given after the I read the content of ppt and Ella’s paper.(just in case it will be chosen)
Criticizing, Editing and revision of the discussion is very much accepted and encourage.
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
The United States’ form of government is a controversial topic in this modern era and has been for decades. The big question “Is the United States a democracy, a republic or something else?” According to the article On Democracy in Our Republic by an unknown author, there is a logically reinforced thesis that the United States is a republic and not a democracy.…
- 1009 Words
- 5 Pages
Better Essays -
Political philosophy is the attempt to understand the foundations of society that we are in today. In order to understand current political situation we have to try to read and recognize early writings on political philosophy, Some of the earlier works by Plato called "The Republic", in the piece there are conversations between characters Socrates and Glaucon, Aristophanes, Adeimantus where they try and explain ideas and views of justice and what a truly just man and/or just "state" would appear How we come to the decisions as human beings that would be for the greater good of a man and/or state.…
- 1033 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
Living Democracy, National Edition, Third Edition, by Daniel M. Shea, Joanne Connor Green, and Christopher E. Smith. Published by…
- 875 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
As humanity has progressed throughout history, there have been a number of times in which the interest and involvement of politics has changed. As we look back we can see that as the eras changed, interests of the people changed as well. One example of this is during the time of the Ancient Greeks. At this point in Western Civilization one polis by the name of Athens located on the coast of the Aegean Sea felt that political participation was a key factor in everyday life. Unfortunately not all Greek city-states were on the same page as the Athenians. While Athens took pride in their democratic elections, their assembly and their Council, other city-states such as Sparta took a much more different approach. Sparta was a society in which…
- 1516 Words
- 7 Pages
Good Essays -
Aristotle a Greek philosopher born in Macedonia in 394 BC has different forms of viewing politics. He describes the polis, or city, as a koinonia, or political association, and he proclaims that all relations, like all thoughtful human acts, are shaped with the objective of accomplishing a particular good. He says that being part of a polis is the only way someone can be a part of a great life. Because politics are necessary for this Aristotle says, "Man is by nature a political animal."(Aristotle 90). As part of the books discussion of the economy a city-state needs, Aristotle defends the system of private property and argues against extreme capitalism and says that slavery is necessary in order for society to function and democracy as being…
- 1488 Words
- 6 Pages
Good Essays -
Early Greek Philosophers contributed many of their ideas to what an ideal government should look like. Plato’s Republic, Polybius’s comments on the Roman Constitution, and Aristotle’s Politics provided three different interpretations on how that government operated. The varying opinions are not without bias or without influence on the social norms from 400-100 B.C.E. Greece, including opinions on the proper roles of women, slaves, and “most importantly” men. There is also a bias from the upper class of each culture with all three of the contributors were raised in a court or an upper-class family. Each of the Philosophers agreed that a government is a means for higher living.…
- 930 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
Fifty-five men gather together. One room to delegate in. Many months to process. Thirty-nine signatures to approve. One document to change the history of what is now called the United States of America. This document just so happens to be the United States Constitution—conjured up to be a revised version of the Articles of Confederation—and became a base on how our country and its government ebb and flow. Even though this document was ratified in 1788, the amendments of the Constitution were fashioned to keep up with the struggles and troubles “we the people” have; thus qualifying our Constitution to still be applicable and relevant.…
- 545 Words
- 3 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
In our class textbook, The Gateways to Democracy, the definition of the constitution is, “The fundamental law undergirding the structure of the government. In a modern democracy, a constitution sets forth the basic rules and procedures for how the people should be governed, including the powers and structure of the government, as well as the rights retained by the people” (Page 32). The constitution is said to be a living document, which can grow and change overtime. A constitution essentially states what a government is permitted to do and how they can go about doing it. We have a constitution that was set forth by America’s founding fathers to assure that the government cannot get too big and too powerful, the American constitution sets…
- 251 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
Democracy is a famous form of government that is practiced in many parts of the globe. This form of government vests the highest power on the citizens of the country. It is for this reason that democracy is referred to as the government of the people, by the people and for the people. Citizens exercise and practice their democratic rights via various means: electing leaders of their choice and the representative or rather the candidate that acquires the highest votes gets elected for that particular position. Democracy however is not just about elections, it entails other perspectives such freedoms of the media and the human rights extent to the citizens of the country under consideration. The word democracy has not been mentioned anywhere…
- 1428 Words
- 6 Pages
Powerful Essays -
Democracy matter in many different ways influence human to chase their freedom and liberty,some countries didn’t have democracy is mean they can’t aspire democracy?No.citizen who want democracy still contend with military forces get their wants.…
- 659 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
America is a land of opportunity, social and economic mobility, equality, and continual progress toward its ideals of liberty and justice. Everyone can achieve socioeconomic advancement through hard work and everyone is equal in the eyes of the law. According to this view, the colonists in North America had abundant opportunities for success because of cheap and widely available land, and they eventually threw off the yoke of the British constitutional monarchy. Driven by their hatred of tyranny and love of freedom, the Founding Fathers established the Constitution, which cemented the principles of democracy and laid the foundation for a prosperous and fair society. Since the founding of the Republic, Americans have overcome injustice, such as the enslavement of African Americans and the relegation of women to the status of second-class citizens, and built an economy that has dominated global markets, which provides the means to have a high quality of life. In addition, this view of American history holds that the U.S. has been a force for good in the world in terms of its involvement in international affairs, whether it be winning WWII or ending communism's reign in Eastern Europe, thus creating a brighter future for humanity.…
- 908 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
Politics refers to the influencing of the people, in other words, corrupting the opinions of voters. This country is known for its continuous support of the people and how our voices effect the Government. If only this was true. We can’t rely on our people anymore because of the lack of consideration going into a vote. There are two things that affect a voter's ballot, who they do not want to win and political parties. In an article…
- 631 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Tolerance of slavery - Necessary to ensure the cooperation participation of the Southern states, and only outlawed after the American Civil War…
- 1217 Words
- 5 Pages
Powerful Essays -
Americans have a long history of celebrating democracy, and America is seen as the pillar of democracy throughout the world. However, the United States of America is not actually a democracy. If America was a true democracy, the country would be vastly different and would not be the leader of the free world that it is today.…
- 704 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Bibliography: Berman, Larry, Bruce Murphy. Approaching Democracy. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. Pearson Education, 2005…
- 1865 Words
- 8 Pages
Powerful Essays