Political Science 6

Module 1

THE ART and NATURE OF POLITICS

Scope of the Module

This module consists of three lessons, namely:

Lesson 1. The Primary of Politics

Lesson 2. Political Thinking through the Ages

Lesson 3. Menu of Ideological Perspectives

Overview of the Module

This module is designed to prove and illustrate the fact that the study of politics is everyone’s business.
Lesson 1 specifically sounds off the theme and defines the thrust of the course. Getting into politics
requires the understanding and the use of a conceptual language developed through time in man’s
quest to achieve a good life. The quality of life we lead together is strongly influenced by the quality of
our politics. The primary tasks of this module are to provide the framework to justify the importance of
the course.
To engage in politics then is essentially to undertake efforts to control the acts of others. This is done
through the formulation and application of policies which are in turn shaped by the ideology of the
incumbent government or what sociologists call the governing elite.

The government that effects and implements those policies affects us all. We are therefore obliged at
this introductory point to analyze, compare and differentiate the various ideological trends competing
for attention and advocacy in the political arena. Later on this course, Modules 2 and 4 will provide us
the nature of the different political parties, social movements and pressure groups that carry these
ideologies in their proposed political agenda or program.

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Objectives of the Module

After completing this module, you should be able to:

1. Recognize and apply the relevant terms and definitions political scientists use to describe
concepts and phenomena of politics;

2. Recognize the principle that social phenomena take place for certain reasons and produce
certain results;

3. Gather, organize and analyze information or data leading to the immediate understanding if not
solution to a political problem at hand;

4. Discuss exhaustively and formulate hypotheses on the power of political ideologies to shape
political practice; and

5. Deduce the impact of social relationships and economic resources on the: (a) human condition
and (b) on the political choices that citizens make in endeavoring to improve that condition and
enrich human lives.

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Political Science 6
Module 1
Lesson 1 THE PRIMACY OF POLITICS

I have always had difficulty introducing politics to my classes. For the academically
uninitiated, politics is a dirty word, an entirely unwholesome activity that makes political
innocence equitable to a condition of pristine virtue.

A.R. Magno

“Those Who Make Politics a Bad Word”

Relationships among men and women in society exist in various kinds, levels and degrees. These social
linkages encompass the diverse concerns and interests of human beings – ranging from mere personal
survival, to the development of professional careers, advancement of society, arts, culture, the national
economy, and the global harmony.

This wide range of activities have one common component: decisions, which are made to
resolve conflicting demands. These decisions are in essence political in nature: governing almost
everything that is done to us.

A person may choose not to decide but others would eventually do it for him. Why? Because
action is the condition of our being. Human essence is discovered only in the course of creating it. In
the wake of actions taken by the political actors (decision makers), society either enjoys or suffers the
consequences of its member’s indecision.

In other words, between cradle and grave, we live our lives in the midst of politics. It is a vital
concern of everyone whether he or she realizes it or not. We are all engaged in the political dimension –
whether we are conscious of it or not. Some prefer to practice politics in order to be directly involved in
social engineering. They deliberately and methodically seek to manipulate the social environment to
achieve a preconceived purpose. Others, due to fear of political persecution or due to innocence if not
ignorance are contended with being fence sitters and recipients of rules and policies of socio-political
conduct. An increasing number, on the other hand, manifest their dissent and discontent by initiating
social movements or joining pressure groups if not political parties in the hope of articulating and
realizing a better and viable alternative to the status quo or ruling order of things. They are genuinely
aware that political power, coupled with an inspired, pro-people and willful leadership usually becomes
the prime movers of history.
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What then is Politics?

Politics has been defined in a variety of ways. Although there is widespread disagreement among
political scientists themselves as to what constitutes the nature of things political, we can cite a few of
the more generally accepted ones in order to later on clarify and expound on the assumptions and
implications inherent in time.

Mechanism of Distribution

Politics is “a means of organizing collective human activity” (K. Lawson, 1985). It has been practiced
ever since human beings began living and working together. Society shapes and is shaped by its politics
which serve as a mechanism by which priorities are ordered and resources are allocated. Formulated in
the cryptic manner of ‘who gets what, when, how,’ politics seeks to distribute various values like power,
influence, education and wealth – mainly between individuals (H. Lasswell, 1936).

A Social Process

Another view of politics in that it is “a social process which allows all adult citizens to share in deciding
what constitutes the common good and how to pursue it, and by combination and compromise, forges a
common will from the clash and creativity of this multiplicity of minds holding diverse and divergent
views” (J. Diokno, 1981).

The late Filipino Senator Diokno even qualified real politics, which according to him, exists only if the
following conditions are present: (1) freedom to participate in public decisions; (2) unimpeded access to
the truth that would make such semblance of participation informed, intelligent and effective; and (3)
an honest process to determine and enforce the common will.

Practical Politics

Politics may also be seen as the art (practical skill) of influencing, manipulating or controlling major
groups of people so as to advance the purposes of some against the opposition of others. It may dignify
or debase people.

If used wisely, politics can become a noble quest for good order and justice by enhancing human
freedom and well-being. If maliciously wielded (to acquire personal power, glory and riches), it can
crush human lives, subvert people’s aspirations and condemn a great number of people to the quagmire
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of poverty, repression and under development. Practical politics then, “actually resolves itself in the
adjustments of human relations” (A. de Grazia, 1962).

The practice or craft of politics covers a multitude of activities from the world of the politician himself –
to the organizations and institutions which he uses to gain in maintain him in public office. The sphere
of the politician is understandably the development and use of political parties, elections and the
electoral process, public opinion and propaganda.

The politician then is one who runs for or holds elective public office. He may also run for or hold
elective political party office. He may likewise be one who is associated with candidates, elected public
officials, political parties or independent organizations in their attempts to influence the outcome of
elections for public office.

The traditional elitist politician usually has very little faith in the people who he needs only during
elections. He merely aggrandizes his personal image before a crowd, employing hallow and self-serving
rhetoric.

The democratic or populist politician, on the other hand, commits himself to conscientizing and
organizing the people – election season or not.

Social Activities within a System

Politics may also denote social activities that take place in the public realm and are linked with relations
between classes, nations and other social groups. These activities and processes are centered on the
seizure, retention and use of state power. It is involved with human control and regulation.

Some of these activities are done in an overt may while others are of a more covert nature. In the
process, influence or power relationships are established among men, between men and the state, and
among states.

Plato of ancient years (427 – 347 B. C.) observed that social relationships seem to occur in some sort of
order system. The political aspect of a society then can be viewed as a pattern of political relationships
forming a system (D. Easton, 1965). One that implies cohesion, autonomy, order and regularity. This
relationship is characterized by its involvement with power, influence, rule or authority (R. Dahl, 1963).

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Politics may thus refer to this political system along with governmental institutions around which it is
centered.

Conflict Management over Ends and Means

Politics is likewise perceived as one kind of purposive behavior – an independent, creative force in
human affairs. It is the conscious engagement of or action upon history (C. de Quiros, 1987). Being a
conscious way of acting upon this world in the context of one’s national reality, politics (far from being
aimless) becomes purposeful.

Throughout the past 5,000 years of man’s stay in this planet, different modes of socio-political
interaction have been delivered and advanced. What has resulted so far is a struggle among people
pursuing conflicting desires on public issues. As individuals and groups, they wish to shape the
environment and circumstances that condition their lives.

Science of Governance

As students, you may consider politics as a complex and often perplexing study or science (with the
domain of the social sciences) that demands clear, concise and dynamic thinking (R. Harmon, 1968). It
involves posing meaningful questions in order to discover new or unsuspected relationships among
political phenomena:

How are political decisions arrived at in society?

Who has the power to decide?

How is power exercised?

What social classes or groups control the instruments / structures of power?

What is the nature and function of government?

How should people be governed?

Should government be restrained?

Is democracy a private preserve of laissez faire economy or is it also viable within the context of
a non-capitalist economic framework?
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 Which is more effective in articulating the needs of the citizenry-one-party system, two-party or
the Multi-party system?

The science of politics investigates (in a systematic and detailed way) concepts, ideologies and
doctrines about government and the political system such a sovereignty, self-determination, authority,
nationalism, democracy, political equality and political legitimacy. It uses a number of methods and
techniques like description of events, explanation and evaluation of their significance and, if possible,
formulation of scientific predictions of political patterns in the foreseeable future.

Political science dedicates itself to bring order and meaning to a mass of events and phenomena
which otherwise would remain disconnected and seemingly unintelligent.

The word politics is derived from polis – a Greek word for a city-state like Athens during the
time of Plato and Aristotle (384-322 B.C.). According to the latter thinker, polis is the “most sovereign
and inclusive association among men”. It was an accepted presumption during that period that
excluding one-self from politics implied that he was either a god or a beast.

Most of the 150 countries today have established themselves as nation-states. A nation
constitutes a mass or aggregation of men and women who collectively feel that they belong together.
Connected by ties of blood, a nation may manifest a community of language (or related dialects),
customs, mores and ethos, a sense of harmony and mutual interest. This body of inhabitants of a
country may unite under a single independent government or state – a structure that emerges out of
certain political relationships.

The state may also be referred to as an organized polity or condition of civil order. Its civil
administrators, political agents or governing elite primarily organizes society and transforms it into a
body politic – the totality of patterns and institutions which decides the collective life of this organized
majority of people within that national boundary.

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Embracing and Engaging in Politics

From the Athenian city-states or the pre-Hispanic Baranganic communities in the country – to
today’s nation states, politics has been ever-present. As a fact of life, it dictates our tempo and quality
of living.

Politics therefore is not dirty. Popular awareness of the why’s and where-fores of governance is
both necessary and ennobling. Obviously, men must resist the lure of political apathy and the
temptations of political ignorance. They “must prefer struggle than a detached contemplation of
events”. (A. de Grazia, 1962).

For political involvement is potentially “an act of selflessness, a principled commitment that
demands not only a clear vision but also a high standard of honor integrity” (A. R. Magno, 1984).

Politics can be the supreme expression of man’s nobility and humanity.

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Political Science 6
Module 1, Lesson 1
SELF-PROGRESS CHECK TEST

Multiple Choice: Indicate on a separate sheet the best answer to the following statements by writing
the letter corresponding to each answer.

1. Politics
a. Is a means of organizing human activity
b. Has been with us since before the first city-states were formed.
c. Is part and parcel of nearly all human interactions.
d. All of the above.

2. State denotes
a. A structure that has the legal right to make rules that are binding over a given population
within a given territory.
b. The study of bureaucratic processes.
c. Increasing political power.
d. Jurisdiction over specified territory.

3. An institution is known as
a. A political unit.
b. A structure with established important functions to perform, with well-specified roles for
carrying out those functions, and with a clear set of rules governing the relationships among
the people who occupy those roles.
c. A structure with interdependent parts.
d. An electoral exercise.

4. Which of the following is the correct sequence of events a political scientist uses when problem
solving?
a. Gathering, organizing and analyzing information.
b. Analyzing, gathering and organizing information.
c. Gathering, analyzing and organizing information
d. Gathering, synthesizing and analyzing information.

5. Structure means
a. The study of political institutions.
b. Accepted rules of procedures.
c. A set of standards or values we uphold.
d. A set of patterned role relationships

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6. Power is
a. A special case of the exercise of influence.
b. The process of affecting the actions of others by being able to threaten severe
consequences for non-conformity with the policies intended.
c. The ability to get others to comply by creating the prospect of severe sanctions for
noncompliance.
d. All of the above.

7. A human policy is
a. A state
b. Any society that has an organized government
c. Any group of persons who have some form of political relationship with one another.
d. All of the above.

8. Organization is
a. Composed of people campaigning for a certain candidate for public office.
b. A body of persons working together in a structured way to achieve a specific purpose.
c. A group of people governing a nation.
d. A gathering of persons to make certain rules and regulations.

9. Authority refers to
a. The right to exercise the power and influence of a particular position that comes from
having been placed in that position according to regular, known, and widely accepted
procedures.
b. City-states.
c. The study and explanation of political processes.
d. The scope of political science.

10. Political equality means

a. An equal right to participate in the political processes and to be treated equally in it.
b. Restrictions on individual liberty.
c. The right to acquire and dispose of one’s personal wealth.
d. Apartheid as practiced in South Africa.

11. Systems means

a. Nation-states
b. Relationships of control.
c. A structure all of whose parts are interrelated, so a change in one part means a change in
all.
d. The skill in the art of persuasion.

12. Sovereignty refers to

a. The constitutional structures and decision-making processes of nearly every existing
government.
b. The allocation of scarce resources.
c. The power to make decisions that cannot be overruled by any other body.
d. A study of the relationships between and among nations.
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13. Influence
a. Involves reallocation of resources.
b. Refers to governmental decision-making.
c. Means obedience to duly-constituted authority.
d. Includes all cases when one party’s desires affect the behavior of another party.

14. When solving a political problem or puzzle, the first step is to

a. Sift the evidence identifying the particular problem.
b. Pose the problem properly.
c. Identify the variables affecting the political problem or puzzle.
d. Narrow the range of possible answers.

15. Political legitimacy refers to

a. Authority to exercise political power.
b. Widespread approval of the way one exercises political power.
c. The right to participate in the political process and to be treated equally in it.
d. Equals access to those having power or influence.

16. The earliest states were politics seldom larger in population or area than a medium-sized city of
today. These are identified as
a. Nation-states
b. City-states
c. Empires
d. All of the above

17. In the first step. Party A threatens unpleasant consequences if party B does not act as party A
wishes. In the second step, party B acts as party A wishes, because party A has made a specified
threat. This relationship of control represents party A exercising.
a. Sovereignty
b. Authority
c. Power
d. Autonomy

18. If the Filipino president is seen as failing to take adequate step to resolve the crisis of territorial
integrity and national independence with the presence of foreign military bases in the country,
he or she may lose
a. Authority without losing legitimacy
b. Legitimacy without losing authority
c. Simultaneously both legitimacy and authority
d. Authority without losing influence

19. When persons, authorize to rule, lose legitimacy

a. The chances are good that an attempt will be made to replace them with others.
b. An easy acceptance of lost legitimacy most often results.
c. Political influence may increase as a consequence.
d. The situation will in no way affect their authority.

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20. Fencesitters or middle-of-the-readers
a. Can affect change.
b. Are potential victims of oppressive laws and practices?
c. Provide necessary leadership in times of crisis
d. Are always safe from harm.

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