Philosophizin'
June 15th 2009 23:16
Well, now you've seen my frustrated side. Yes, I'm quick to anger, but I'm working on it ("control, control, you must learn control!"). For the sake of my credibility, I think it would be best if I confined myself to subjects on which I have no strong feelings. As recompense for my earlier outburst, I give you. . . philosophy!
How do we define politics? To me, it is the manipulation of people by a leader in order to maintain power or reach a goal. Any action a leader might make fits inside this definition. An argument might be made that people who are not leaders engage in politics; for example, the controlling, manipulative parent. But, then, is just anyone who engages in manipulation also engaging in politics? Perhaps, in an even broader sense. But to most, the word "politics" is intrinsically linked with government, as inseperable from one another as a pair of siamese twins. Maybe my defininition is a matter of personal taste; If it is, there is nothing I can do to convince you that it is the correct one, just as I cannot make you see why a particular work of art is (to me) beautiful.
Politics, like science, and even power itself, is not inherantly good or evil ( these terms are not easily defined, but in the words of a former Supreme Court Justice, "I know it when I see it.) The way they are used makes them one or the other, or varying shades of gray that lie in between, interpreted and misinterpreted depending on cultural context.
While I would like to continue this discussion, the hour grows late, and dinner calls me. But be assured that it will continue, at a later point in time commonly known as "tommorrow". Hmm...
How do we define politics? To me, it is the manipulation of people by a leader in order to maintain power or reach a goal. Any action a leader might make fits inside this definition. An argument might be made that people who are not leaders engage in politics; for example, the controlling, manipulative parent. But, then, is just anyone who engages in manipulation also engaging in politics? Perhaps, in an even broader sense. But to most, the word "politics" is intrinsically linked with government, as inseperable from one another as a pair of siamese twins. Maybe my defininition is a matter of personal taste; If it is, there is nothing I can do to convince you that it is the correct one, just as I cannot make you see why a particular work of art is (to me) beautiful.
Politics, like science, and even power itself, is not inherantly good or evil ( these terms are not easily defined, but in the words of a former Supreme Court Justice, "I know it when I see it.) The way they are used makes them one or the other, or varying shades of gray that lie in between, interpreted and misinterpreted depending on cultural context.
While I would like to continue this discussion, the hour grows late, and dinner calls me. But be assured that it will continue, at a later point in time commonly known as "tommorrow". Hmm...
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