DIFFERENT VIEWS OF
POLITICS
According to one definition, politics is the process through which society
makes
a "authoritative allocation of values." This process now exists inside the
bigger
social process arena and is neither independent nor closed. The term
"process"
refers to a collection of interactions between a system's parts. As a result,
a
system exists everywhere there is a process. A political system is made up
of
the political process. However, the political system itself is a
smaller social
system. The political process has thus been referred to as a component of
the
social process.
There are interactions between politics and other social
system
components like the economics and culture since process implies
interaction
among system components and the political process is a component of
the
social system itself. Political economics and political culture are the results
of
these relationships.
What is the nature of the conflict and what is the conclusion of
this
process if politics is a feature of the social process that results from
competing
demands and interests of different parts of society? Different perspectives
can
be adopted in order to respond to this question. Liberal,
Marxist, and
communitarian viewpoints are among the most significant of these.
The liberal perspective on politics is founded on liberalism,
which is
consistent with the school of thinking that dates back to English
philosopher
John Locke (1632–1704). Although this viewpoint acknowledges that there
are
conflicts between different social interests, it maintains that these
conflicts are
not very severe. Different parties are able and willing to
develop such
agreements that would settle their issues. The Marxist viewpoint, on the
other
hand, is founded on Marxism, which has its roots in the theories created
by German thinkers Friedrich Engels (1820–95) and Karl Marx (1818–83),
as well
as their adherents. According to this perspective, there are two
opposing
classes—the haves and the have-nots—whose interests cannot be
reconciled,
which causes all societal strife. Only by transitioning to a "classless
society" and
sharing all significant production means will this dispute be
overcome. In
addition to these two opposing political viewpoints, a third political
viewpoint
has also gained popularity in recent decades, albeit its roots can be found
in a
previous school of political philosophy. This political philosophy is known
as
"communitarian." According to this theory, society is devoid of
genuine
conflict. Conflict develops when our true interest, the common good,
which
encompasses everyone's true interest, is misunderstood. According
to this
perspective, politics is no longer seen as an attempt to resolve a pre-
existing
conflict but rather as the pursuit of the common good.
The rejection of liberalism as a tool for achieving human pleasure
gave
rise to communitarianism. It asserts that while the modern man lives in
better
conditions, his financial security hasn't been able to make him happy
because
of a lack of emotional security. In the midst of a vast crowd, he feels
isolated.
He doesn't feel like he belongs in society, yet he lives there.
The goal of
communitarianism is to mend the strained connection between the
individual
and society. It helps the person see how much society has to do with his
very
being and mentality. Different people make up the threads that
make up
society, not just as separate pieces. Instead of pursuing their individual
self-
interest, they might serve their interests by advancing the
interests of all.
Communitarianism emphasizes the individual's duty, whereas
liberalism emphasizes his rights. Early proponents of this viewpoint
include the Greek
philosopher Aristotle, J.J. Rousseau (1712–78), G.W.F. Hegel (1770–1831),
and
T.H. Green (1836-82). Alasdair MacIntyre (1929–), Charles Taylor
(1931–),
Michael Sandel (1953–), and others are some of its modern proponents.
T.H. Green (1836-82). Alasdair MacIntyre (1929–), Charles Taylor
(1931–),
Michael Sandel (1953–), and others are some of its modern proponents.
LEGISLATIVE VIEW
The pluralistic vision of society is supported by the liberal political
philosophy.
This viewpoint holds that various people look out for their own interests as
members of various organizations. In society, there are a lot of more or
less
structured groups that work to protect their members' interests against
those
of competing groups. To put it another way, each of these groups
aggressively
pursues its unique interests in an effort to secure the authoritative
allocation of
values in its favor. For instance, a workers' union may seek worker
interests that
conflict with employer objectives. Employers, however, have organizations
that
work to further their interests. Similar to producers and consumers,
landlords
and tenants, suppliers and clients, etc., these groups are formed to
advance
their respective interests. Politics has been referred to as a "group
activity" in
this sense.
The liberal theory also sees politics as a state activity because the state is
the one who makes the authoritative allocations in opposition to the
demands
and claims of other groups. In other words, as the state implements
policies,
different interest groups make demands and provide support (such as
paying
taxes, abiding by the law, etc.). So, in this perspective, politics is both a
group
activity and a state activity.
