What kind of activity is political?
Date: 2015-10-07; view: 556.
Key terms
| Power... |
| is the ability to do something: the ability to make something happen. |
| Power can exist with or without authority. A bandit with a gun might have power without authority. An armed police officer might have power and authority Authority... |
| is the right to make something happen: the right to take a particular course of action . Authority can exist without much or any power. A teacher, for example, has a certain authority but little real power |
| Laws... are there to regulate society. They should serve to discourage behavior that is detrimental to the common good and encourage that which is beneficial |
| Justice... |
| is the exercise of authority in a manner that is morally right or fair (just). Many laws are just, but there can be a difference between what is legal and what is just. Consider the actions of Robin Hood! |
Many different kinds of activity can be considered political. For example:
| Voting... because it involves transferring authority to a body which can resolve conflict. | Pressure groups... because they aim to pressure individuals and institutions into resolving particular conflicts in a particular way. | School.. where the teacher exercises authority over the students, resolving disputes, enforcing codes of behaviour | Within a family... where parents have the role of setting the boundaries of acceptable behaviour | Parliament... where legislation is debated and put into place. Where conflicts over policy are fought out. |
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