ARTICLE 2, VOLUME 1 THE SCRUPULOUS SCRUTINITY OF POLITICS………. POLITICS HAS BEEN DEFINED FROM SO MANY PERSPECTIVES AND BY DIFFERENT PHILOSOPHERS. ACCORDING TO THE OXFORD ADVANCED LEARNERS DICTIONARY(INTERNATIONAL STUDENT’S EDITION), IT SAID, IT IS THE ACTIVITIES INVOLVED IN GETTING AND USING POWER IN PUBLIC LIFE, AND BEEN ABLE TO INFLUENCE DECISSIONS THAT AFFECTS A COUNTRY OR STATE. THE LONGMAN CONTEMPORARY ENGLISH DICTIONARY ALSO DEFINES POLITICS AS IDEAS AND ACTIVITIES RELATING TO GAINING POWER AND USING THE POWER IN A COUNTRY OR CITY. ALSO THE ENCARTER MICROSOFT DICTIONARY DEFINES IT AS THE INTERELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE PEOPLE, GROUPS, OR ORGANIZATIONS IN A PARTICULAR AREA OF LIFE ESPECIALLY INSOFAR AS THEY INVOLVE POWER AND INFLUENCE OR CONFLICT NOW LET’S GO TO THE PHILOSOPHICAL DEFINITIONS OF POLITICS,THE FIRST ONE IS THAT OF HARROLD LASSWELL WHO DEFINE POLITICS AS WHO GET WHAT, WHEN AND HOW.THIS DEFINITION POSIT POWER, THAT IS FIGHTING TO GET WHAT YOU AIMED FOR BY ANY MEANS. EITHER BY POWER OR INFLUENCE WHICH INVOLVE CONFLICT AMONG TWO OR MORE PEOPLE. ANOTHER DEFINITION IS THAT OF VERNON VAN DYKE WHO SEES POLITICS AS THE STRUGLLE AMONG ACTORS PURSUING COFLICTING DESIRES ON PUBLIC ISSUES, THAT IS FIGHTING TO TAKE CONTROL OF THE PEOPLE AND RESOURCES OF A STATE OR COUNTRY, BE IT ECONOMICAL, POLITICAL AND ANY OTHER ASPECT. THAT ALSO INVOLVES THE AIMING FOR POWER, EITHER BY COERCION OR INFLUENCE THAT ALSO INVOLVES CONFLICT. THE THIRD AND THE LAST DEFINITION I WILL LIKE TO SEE TO HERE IS THAT OF A GERMAN PHILOSOPHER,KARL MARX WHO SEES POLITICS AS THE CONFRONTATIONS AND STRUGGLE AMONG SOCIAL CLASSES OR ECONOMIC GROUPS. THIS ALSO POINTS AT THE FACT THAT ANY ONE WHO IS CONTESTING TO GAIN ANY POLITICAL SEAT IS ALSO FIGHTING TO GAIN NOT ONLY ACESS TO PUBLIC FUND AND RESOURCES BUT TO ALSO HAVE POWER OVER ALL THAT BELONGS TO THE PUBLIC. THAT ALSO POINTS AT POWER. AND IT INVOLVES CONFLICT TO GAIN IT. THE REAL PERSPECTIVE OF WHICH PEOPLE LOOK AT POLITICS IS THAT POLITICIANS ARE FIGHTING TO SATISFY THEIR OWN PERSONAL INTERESTS. IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE HERE THAT THERE IS NO CONSENSUS DEFINITION OF POLITICS. I THINK THAT IMPRESSION ABOUT POLITICS THAT IT IS A DO OR DIE AFFAIR IS CORRECT, BUT IF YOU CALL A POLITICIAN A LIAR, YOU ARE ALSO A LIAR, IF YOU CALL A POLITICIAN A KILLER, YOU ARE ALSO A KILLER, HOLD ON,I CAN READ YOUR MIND,YOUR QUESTION IS WHY AND HOW? I HAVE YOUR ANSWER. BECAUSE YOU ARE ALSO A POLITICIAN, EITHER DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY. ACCORDING TO PA ARISTOTLE, A GREEK PILOSOPHER WHO SAID ALL HUMAN ARE ZOON POLTIKON. THAT IS WE ALL ARE POLITICAL ANIMALS. I KNOW YOU WILL WANT TO ASK HOW. AND YOUR ANSWER IS ALREADY HERE. FROM PA ARISTOTLE’S POINT OF VIEW AND DEFINITION OF POLITICS, HE SAID POLITICS IS THE ESSENCE OF SOCIAL EXISTENCE AND THAT TWO OR MORE MEN INTERACTINGWITH ONE ANOTHER ARE INVARIABLY INVOLVED IN POLITICS. THAT IS INTERACTION BETWEEN US IS POLITICAL. IT CAN BE SAID THAT NO ONE CAN LIVE IN ISOLATION. WE ALL HAVE TO COMMUNICATE AND OUR COMMUNICATION COULD INVOLVE CONFLICTS. YOU DON’T HAVE TO MISQUOTE ME HERE, WHAT I AM TRYING TO SAY IS THAT WE ARE EITHER INVOLVED IN POLITICS DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, EITHER BY PARTICIPATION OR DICUSSION.SO HERE I REFER TO POLITICS AS CONFLICTS AND THAT NO MAN CAN DO WITHOUT CONFLICTS. LESTER MAILBRIGHT WHO POSITED THREE LEVELS OF POLITICIAN TO BE THE SPECTATORS WHO’S ONLY PARTICIPATION IN POLITICS IS TO VOTE, NOT THAT THEY ARE NOT ALLOWED TO FULLY PARTICIPATE, BUT THEY TEND TO BE A KIND OF PAROCHIAL OF POLITICS. WE ALSO HAVE THE TRANSITIONAL POLITICIANS WHO ARE THE PARTY MEMBERS. THEY ARE ENGAGED IN POLITICS AND ALSO INVOLVED IN THE MEMBERSHIP OF A POLITICAL PARTIES. AND THOSE WHO CONSIST OF THE THIRD LEVEL OF POLITICS ARE THE GLADIATORS.THESE ARE THE PEOPLE WHO ARE BY ONE WAY OR THE OTHER HOLDING AN OFFICE IN THE POLITICAL SETTING OF A POLITY. NOW, TO ME, I DON’T SEE RAW POLITICS AS A DO OR DIE AFFAIR WHICH PEOPLE TAKE IT TO BE, BUT RATHER AN INTERESTING LIFE RELATED GAME WHICH INVOLVE WHAT CAN NEVER BE PREDICTED. FROM WHAT I HAVE JUST JOTTED ABOVE, I HOPE YOU UNDERSTAND THAT YOU ALSO FALL IN ONE OF THESE CATEGORIES OF POLITICIAN. NOW MY QUESTION IS, WHAT IS THE ESSENCE AND JUSTIFICATION OF YOUR EXISTENCE IN THE POLITICAL MILIEU??????. I KNOW THIS QUESTION IS GOING TO BE A BIG BLOW ON YOU, BUT IT IS BEST YOU WORK ON IT. MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS, PLEASE THINK WISE……….. ARTICLE BY: COM.MOH’AHMADU’SUBAIR OLAITAN ABDL’KABIR POLITICAL SCIENCE DEPARTMENT, UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN 08137137425
Posted on: Fri, 23 Aug 2013 14:47:52 +0000
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