POLS 110 Lecture : January 10, 2013- Thinking about Politics.docx
20 Jul 2013
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The monadic definition: focusing on one primary element as the most important for understanding a phenomenon. Politics is what keeps the world moving. There is something problematic about this idea: if politics is everything, what are we going to study. The pursuit of the good (or the good life) The distribution of good things: laswell"s who gets what, when and how (and why) Politics is about why some people hate others enough to derive pleasure from humiliating them. Politics is about the willingness of some to dominate and enslave others. Politics is about why some people hate others enough to kill them. Politics is about why some peoples are at war with each other, and why other peoples are at peace. Politics is about why some people live in luxury and privilege while others must endure poverty and deprivation. The complexity required we think about the interconnectedness of the different elements of the political world.
