POS 201 Chapter 1, Fall 2016

1) Politics as the art of government “Politics is not a science… but an art” Chancellor Bismarck said. The art he had in mind was the art of government, the exercise of control within society through the making and enforcement of collective decisions. This is the classical definition of politics, developed from the original meaning of the term in ancient Greece. The word “politics” is derived from the ancient Greek word “polis” meaning “city-state”. Ancient Greece was divided into city-states, each with its own government. The biggest and most important one of these was Athens. In this light, Politics can be understood to refer to the affairs of the Polis, or what concerns the Polis. The modern form of this definition is therefore “what concerns the state”. This view of politics is clearly evident in the everyday use of the term: People are said to be “in politics” when they hold public office, or to be “entering politics” if they seek to do so. 2) Authority Authority can most simply be defined as “legitimate Power”, whereas power is the ability to influence the behavior of others, authority is the right to do so. Authority is therefore based on an acknowledged duty not to obey to coercion or manipulation. In this sense, authority is power cloaked in legitimacy and rightfulness. 3) Power Power, in Politics, is usually thought of as a relationship, that is , the ability to influence the behavior of others in a manner not of their choosing. 4) Bad image of Politics The link between politics and the affairs of the state also helps to explain why negative or pejorative images have been linked to politics. That is because politics is associated with the activities of Politicians, who are often seen as power seeking hypocrites who conceal their own interests behind Public Service. This Perception intensified in the modern period through media exposure, giving rise to the phenomenon of “anti-Politics” This Rejection of the personnel of political life came from the idea that politics is a self-serving two-faced activity. Such a bad image of politics is often traced back to Niccolo Machiavelli. 5) Niccolo Machiavelli Italian Politician and author. His major work “The Prince“ was written as a guide for the future Prince of Italy. His Book Drew heavily on his first hand observation of the statecraft and politics of his period. 6) Aristotle Greek philosopher. Made lectures about Logic, Physics, Metaphysics, Biology, Astronomy and so on… His Best Known political work is “Politics”: A Study of ideal constitution. 7) Civil Society Originally meaning “Political Community” a society governed by law under the authority of the State. More commonly it is separated from the state and describes institutions that are private & independent from the government.