Lecture 1

 

Attitudes Toward Politics

I. Introduction--Why it's not so easy to teach American politics in the Early 21st Century

II. A Simple (but problematic) definition of politics

 

A. Politics=government

 

 

III. A Common, modest definition of politics

 

A. Politics="the art of the possible"

IV. Traditional Political Science Definitions

A. Politics=power

B. Politics="the authoritative allocation of values"

C. Harold Lasswell: Politics="who gets what, when and how"

1. The feminist slogan: "the personal is the political"

IV. Problems with Traditional Definitions

 

A. All-encompassing

B. Political scientists study a subset of human relationships

C. A limited notion of politics:

1. politics is a game

2. the object is to win

3. the main purpose of studying it is to see who wins and who loses

V. Alternative Definitions

A. Lief Carter: Politics="the things communities do to minimize threats to their well-being"

B. Politics as a conversation about public problems, politics as problem-solving

C. A rosy vision of politics:

1. the object is to solve problems

2. participants debate the merits of the arguments

3. participants rise above narrow self-interest

VI. My Definition of Politics

A. Politics is both:

1. a game and a conversation

2. about power and problem-solving

3. an arena for pursuit of self-interest and public interest

 

4. Politics="the art of the possible"?

  

B. Politics=the attempt to reconcile the personal and collective parts of ourselves through participation in collective decision-making

C. The central tension in politics: collective and individual interests

D. Politics in miniature: the video party

E. The Classical conception of politics

1. Politics as the most human of all activities

2. Aristotle: "Man is a political animal."

3. Politics as a moral, virtuous activity

4. Tocqueville: Politics as a broadening activity

VII. Objections to My Definition

A. Too broad

1. Collective decision-making in families, dorms, etc.

B. Too narrow

1. No politics in dictatorships?