What Is Politics?
Politics is a process that people use to make agreements about how they should live together in groups such as tribes, towns, cities and countries. These agreements may be about how to share resources or what kind of government is best for a group. People who spend a lot of time making political decisions are called politicians. The study of politics is often referred to as political science, public affairs or government.
Governments are institutions that make rules and laws to manage human society properly. They also build things for the benefit of all members of a society, such as roads, schools and libraries. Governments are usually run by elected officials who work for the good of all citizens, and they try to find ways to avoid conflict between the interests of different groups. Politics is a very complicated subject, and it has many different definitions.
In the US, most people vote for members of their state or local legislature. They also vote for president and other national leaders. Often, the people who run for these offices belong to a political party or are Independent. The US Constitution formally recognizes two major political parties, although many other organizations have been formed. The two main political parties have opposite views about how to govern the country. The Democratic Party favors policies that are more to the left, while the Republican Party supports more conservative policies.
Many philosophers have written about politics, and there are some very different ideas about what it is. Niccolo Machiavelli, for example, argued that politics was all about getting and keeping power. Thomas Hobbes, in his book Leviathan, argued that people give up some of their rights in order to get protections from the state. John Stuart Mill developed a more liberal idea of politics, in which individuals should be guaranteed certain basic rights by the state.
The most common view of politics is that it is a process where competing interests are negotiated between government agencies and the private sector. Sometimes, reasonable accommodations can be made that satisfy all the interests involved. But most of the time, politics is a chaotic and painful clash of entrenched interests. The solutions that are ultimately produced may be fair to some, but they may grossly favor others.
Students should be encouraged to discuss political issues that interest them, both in school and in their community. They should learn about the different types of governments that exist in the world, and how they function. They should also be taught about the core elements of any political event: rules, reality and choices. They should be encouraged to consider whether those events are more about sharing or controlling resources, and to think critically about how they are influenced by other contexts such as history, opinions and values. They should be taught that there are many different benefits to participating in politics, including feelings of fulfillment and social and solidarity. They should also be encouraged to consider whether or how these benefits are affected by the way that a particular policy is implemented.
Politics is a process that people use to make agreements about how they should live together in groups such as tribes, towns, cities and countries. These agreements may be about how to share resources or what kind of government is best for a group. People who spend a lot of time making political decisions are called politicians. The study of politics is often referred to as political science, public affairs or government. Governments are institutions that make rules and laws to manage human society properly. They also build things for the benefit of all members of a society, such as roads, schools and libraries. Governments are usually run by elected officials who work for the good of all citizens, and they try to find ways to avoid conflict between the interests of different groups. Politics is a very complicated subject, and it has many different definitions. In the US, most people vote for members of their state or local legislature. They also vote for president and other national leaders. Often, the people who run for these offices belong to a political party or are Independent. The US Constitution formally recognizes two major political parties, although many other organizations have been formed. The two main political parties have opposite views about how to govern the country. The Democratic Party favors policies that are more to the left, while the Republican Party supports more conservative policies. Many philosophers have written about politics, and there are some very different ideas about what it is. Niccolo Machiavelli, for example, argued that politics was all about getting and keeping power. Thomas Hobbes, in his book Leviathan, argued that people give up some of their rights in order to get protections from the state. John Stuart Mill developed a more liberal idea of politics, in which individuals should be guaranteed certain basic rights by the state. The most common view of politics is that it is a process where competing interests are negotiated between government agencies and the private sector. Sometimes, reasonable accommodations can be made that satisfy all the interests involved. But most of the time, politics is a chaotic and painful clash of entrenched interests. The solutions that are ultimately produced may be fair to some, but they may grossly favor others. Students should be encouraged to discuss political issues that interest them, both in school and in their community. They should learn about the different types of governments that exist in the world, and how they function. They should also be taught about the core elements of any political event: rules, reality and choices. They should be encouraged to consider whether those events are more about sharing or controlling resources, and to think critically about how they are influenced by other contexts such as history, opinions and values. They should be taught that there are many different benefits to participating in politics, including feelings of fulfillment and social and solidarity. They should also be encouraged to consider whether or how these benefits are affected by the way that a particular policy is implemented.