The Role of Politics in SocietyPosted by Winther Hedrick on May 13th, 2021 Many bloggers, and also some politicians, often make reference to something called being politically interested, or, being politically aware. However, the idea that politics is merely, or primarily, about political power struggles has long been challenged over recent years. Many political scientists have challenged this view. Still, most political scientists agree that politics does play a substantial role in society. Politics, at the very least at the broadest level, is defined by the political parties involved. Politics is, in large part, a social activity. It has always been so. As political scientist Robert Weihlmann put it "Politics is really a social activity and political institutions are political institutions." Politics is not static; it constantly changes as groups of people come together and discover different ways of cooperating to satisfy their political needs. This ongoing process of politics has been present since the earliest history of democracy, as sets of men banded together to form political coalitions to accomplish particular ends. From the initial days of politics the idea of politics was linked closely to the question of power. At that time, power meant individual control over social organizations such as warring against neighboring tribes, developing a country, etc. Power was tied closely to the ownership of land, and therefore, politics became a game of who had more access to political power. Thus, those groups with the greatest number of warriors were able to rule through the use of politics. Power was based on the fact that those who held political power had access to more weapons and for that reason, were with the capacity of defending themselves making use of their political power. Thus, politics became closely associated with war. The first civilizations that existed beyond the reach of Rome did not have political systems, and thus, politics was not an important matter. Sets of men would band together and create political coalitions when necessary. Rome had not been developed enough at this time to create stable governments, and therefore, politics became a significant factor that has been considered when forming alliances with other groups. Several political coalitions came into being because of religious or nationalistic reasons. Religious groups including the pagans or the Jews would sometimes form coalitions in order to fight off encroaching empires. As political theory became more developed throughout the centuries that followed, it begun to become more intertwined with ideas of right and wrong. For example, many people would associate right thinking with societal bliss, moral enlightenment, and a sense of honor and integrity. Quite often, political systems were established through the use of force, and the societies that emerged in the classical world were generally brutalized through the use of political violence. 스페니쉬기와 However, despite the fact that some political thinkers argue that such societies are too difficult to investigate, most political scientists have tried to investigate how politics really works in the real world today. Actually, political scientists have spent decades trying to explain the workings of politics in the twenty-first century world. Most political theories in the twentieth century have been developed through the study of political systems which have developed throughout the world. Studying the political systems of ancient and contemporary societies has revealed a good deal about how politics works. Politics is usually thought of as a political arena where sets of people decide on what type of political system they would like to live in. However, politics also plays an integral role in social interaction, and politics play a part in the shaping of social norms. Many social scientists have theorized that just how that politics influences social interaction is through deliberation. For example, if a political philosopher discusses the issue of poverty, lots of people might immediately begin to discuss their own personal approaches for alleviating poverty. In addition to social interaction, politics influences other areas of human life including cultural norms, gender roles, national identity, and also religion. All of these areas of politics can be traced back again to their origins in ancient societies. Thus, politics plays a vital role in all respects of contemporary human life. Although political debate is frequently viewed as the domain of powerful governments and political leaders, politics can be understood as a process by which people come to decide how their society and world will function, and how they themselves will undoubtedly be affected by that process.Like it? Share it! More by this author |