Introduction

 According to one of the great

Greek philosophers,
Aristotle (384-322 B.C.), a
humab being is a political
animal; he is not human but a
beast or a God if he could live
outside the state ( Ebenstein,
1966,66).
 What is Politics?

 Politics may be defined in different

gradients of inclusiveness. Some
scholars are too inclusive that they
define almost everything as
politics,while others exclude a
number of items, but they differ in
the what they exclude and include.

 There are Scholars who consider
any activity that involves power- who
gets what, when, and how- as
political ( Lasswell 1936)
 Some Scholars locate politics in a collectivity. They
believe that politics is a heart of all collective social
activity. Formal and informal, public and private in
all human groups.

 They believe that politics is the root of many
problems that may not look pooitical. They consider
a medical problem such as the outbreak of epidemics
, economic problems like unemployment, famine &
poverty social problems manifisted in crimws as
result of politics.
 Politics may defined in a narrow sense in terms of
arena of activity in the modern world.It has a narrow
meaning when defined in relation to the state.
 Thus, Aristotle's dictum that man is a political
animal, in a way, connotes a narrow definition of
political because he said this is connection with the
state.
 The polis in Greek, res publica in Latin, which
means "affairs of the state"
 To sone thinkers of modern times, like Michael
Oakeshott, having 'affairs of the state that
there are affairs wgich so not belong to the
State, and are not Political'

 "Politics in the modern world obviously happen for

the most part in nation states that is to say in
communities with certain past, with a certain social
make up and with a certain set of arrangements for
making political decisions."
 David Easton (1959) politics as state affairs by
defining politics as the athoritative allocation of
values in a society To Easton, an allocation of
values that is not authoritative is not political and in
, it is the state rhat has the authority to allocate
values.
 On the other hand, Robert Dahl (1984) politics as
any activiy involving human being associated
together in relationship of power and authority
where conflict occurs.
 Still in a narrower definition of politics is one that
relates it to goverment "Goverment is the arena of
politics" the prize of politics & historically
speaking the residue of past politics". (Miller
1962)

 Bernard Crick relates politics to the state but he

does not believe that there is politics in all states. To
him, politics does not exist in a tyranny, or in a
totalitarian state. Neither does he believes that it exists
in a democracy where only the majority is heard.
 Crick (1982) says "Politics is way of ruling in
divided societies without violence."
 Democracy is compatible with politics, "indeed
politics can now scarely hope to exist without
it"

 Politics means compromises but these

compromises "must in some sense be creative
of future benefits- that each exists for a
further purpose"Or at least,some purpose like
enabling orderly government to be carried on
at all
 Political Science and Definition of
Terms

 Intellectual debate will not progress if there is no

agreement about which meaning of a concept the
discussants will adopt, at least tentatively or for the
limited purposes of examining a clearly defined
problem.

 Politics is a rational, purposive activity that may

occur in any arena between two person,a family,an
office,the government,or the state but among these,the
study of politics on the level of the state is the most
important not only because common people great
philosophers have said to.


 In modern times, G.W.F. Hegel (1770-1831), a German
philosopher, explains the nature of the state in this way; From
one point of view, the state is a neccesity that is higher and
outside personal life,family life,and social affairs.
Person,familities,civil society are subordinate to it and
dependent on it. From another point of view, the state is within
them, state interest of individuals.

 In other words,,studying politics, studying affairs of the
state, is studying about us, If we study politics, we may
understand why some poor, others are rich. We may find
solutions to problems like unemployment,crime (and) pollution
and, if we successfully act on our findings, we may be able to
improve our lives. Other modern thinkers agree that apex of
power, but they do not agree that it has possitibe impact on our
lives
 Scope of Politics

 To say that politics is the affairs of the state is only to

indentify a locale of politics that is worth studying.
We only say that granted that there is politics for as
long as there are at least two interacting
individuals,it is politics that happen in the realm of
the state that is worth studying. We still have to asj
what affairs of the state are and what are not.
 Oakeshott says that there are affairs of the state
and there are personal,private affairs. But that leaves
that question of what is personal or private and what
is not personal or public. What human activities may
be taken up bu statement for discussion? What
human activities are negotiable in public? What
human activities may be declared illegal? What
human activities may be subjected to the state's
control management?


 As a matter of fact, the separation of church state ia
still a very vibrant issue in the Philippines. Can a
priest tun foe a public office and stille renain a
priest? Should priests refrain fron discussing
elections, pending bills in congress, graft and
corruption, and the like from the pulpit? Are political
candidates mixinf religion and politics when they
seek charismatic religious leaders endorsement? Did
Cardinal sin violet the principle of separation of
church and state when in 1986 he called on the
people to come to EDSA to topple the marcos
dictatorship?
 There are some feminist who declare that the
personal is political; meaning to say, violations of human
rights that occur even in husband -wife relationship are
matter that call for a state policy (frazer and lacey
1993,72,76) unlike the liberals who hold on to limited
view of the scope of the state because they believe that
state intervension is a curtailment of individuals
freedom,feminists claims that such individual freedom is
meaningless because in the condition of inequality
between men ad women, only men can enjoy such rights.
From a feminist point of view, broadening the scope
of state power is justified if it results in more real equality
between men and women and giving women legal
protection against gender related violence and bias.

 Three Basic Attitudes Towards Politics:
Active Participation, Rejection abd
Indifference

 ACTIVE PARTICIPATION
 In Ancient Greek, before the city-
states were conquered by the
Macedonia Empire, the prevalent
attitude towards the states waa
active involvement and direct rule
by the citizens.
 The small size of the city-state and
the intimacy of life encouraged this
attitude.
 Both Plato and Aristotle cast a critical eye on
the prevailing democratic system of government
during times. Aristotle tends to be more
democratic than Plato, but advocates of
democracy today will still find hia concept of veyy
limited citizens participation not democratic
enough
  REJECTION, INDIFFERENCE, QUIET
PARTICIPATION, REBELLION
 A small minority in the time of the city-states
rejected participation in the states. These were the
Skeptics and Epicureans, who believed that
affair of the state were not their business and not
worth their attention
 The Cynics, on the other hand, believed so much on
the rationality and morality of individuals as
individuals that they rejected the need for the state.
 The Stoics, meanwhile, we're indifferent towards
the state. Stoics were of two kinds; Submissive
and Rebellious.

 The word "Stoic" Is hardly used today in connection

with political attitudes. The words apathy,
indifference, "above politics" and rebellious
are instead used
Does the Size of the Political Unit
Matter?
 Participation and Democracy

 Active participation most of the time, if not always, is

a must in a state like the Philippines that claims to be
democratic.
 Democracy ia from the Greek word demo kratos,
which means rule of the people.
 Exercising one's right to vote is the basic minimum
that democracy requires. A democratic state cannot
afford to have a majority of its citizens refusing ti
participate in elections.

 There are other ways of participation, such as

forming association, writing to one's representative
in tge legislature, expressing one's opinion in a letter
to the editor of a newspaper, and the like.
 Participation is the moat important in sustaining,
conversation, negotiation, discussion, making policy
decisions, implementing and evaluating these
decisions, in making the decision-makers
accountable for their actions, and indeed, the demos
also have a responsibility and are also accountable
for their actions.
 Democracy is the most sought-after form of
government. No nation-state today will admit that it
is not democratic, despite evidence to the contrary,
thus, underlining the vivid presence of politics, the
core of which, like that of democracy, in discussion
and continues negotiation.
  Democracy requires participation in
discussion and negotiation. And it has to be
a patient, free, and peaceful participation.