WHAT IS POLITICS, IS IT THE PRESERVE OF GOVERNMENT?
BY SHAYA RAYMOND
Politics is a broad ‘term’, which encompasses a wide range of activities and beliefs that help shape the modern world in which we live. The general contention is that politics is the preserve of government, either through influence, for example in elections and the actions of Interest Groups, or through the power and authority exerted by those who rule, such as Cabinet Government and Government Institutions. It stretches from Government Institutions and Multi-National Corporations all the way down into the classroom and at home. Throughout this essay I will attempt to discover, in my view, what is politics whilst evaluating different arguments and thoughts from respected philosophers and scholars. ...
In order to understand what Politics is now, and the role it fulfils, I feel it essential to backtrack to the beginning where the term ‘Politics’ was founded. The word ‘politics’ stems from the Ancient Greek word Polis, which means city-state. Ancient Greek society was divided into a collection of independent city-states; each possessing it’s own system of government. ... Therefore politics can be defined as ‘what concerns the state’, a view commonly held by the public nowadays. The common ‘belief’ is that if someone is to be involved in ‘politics’ then he/she holds a government office or position, whether it is in local government or the central government. For example it is my ambition to enter politics when I graduate from University. When I say I want to enter politics, I mean I want to get involved in the everyday activities of a government job or political institution, again justifying the common belief that politics is associated with a government office or position.
When politics starts to get associated with a public office or position then it is inevitable that it starts to forge links with the notions ‘power’ and ‘authority’. ... This is the third base of power, first thought of by Lukes (1974), and is something we can’t see, we just assume that those who hold positions within the government are able to limit or alter our options. ... The laws are obeyed by most people as they emanate from parliament and this body, as well as government, is perceived to have legitimacy due to the electoral system, and finally, (3) Charismatic Authority, which relates to the natural authority that an individual may command purely due to his/her own self which may arise from sheer personality and some act they have performed.
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