is a common question asked by tutors in their first classes - typically of an introductory module - to test if their students know what they are getting themselves into.
'Government' 'Politicians' 'Elections' 'Revolutions' 'Legislation' 'Executive'
Zealous students often throw out rapid-fire answers, which may make perfect sense when you hear them for the first time, but they always miss the mark. What they tend to mention are forms or institutions in which politics manifest, but they are not politics in itself.
Politics, at the most fundamental level, is a struggle for power.
That's why there are office politics, family politics - politics in not just the top management but among people in general in daily life. Where there are people, there is competition - to be the leading authority, to command, organise and control resources - to ensure survival and security. Survival is the most basic end of POWER, and is inextricably linked to Thomas Hobbes' realist outlook of a 'dog-eat-dog' world.
To even begin understanding simple politics, we must trace back to the origin of modern political philosophy founded by Hobbes. The modern states we have today - its law and order, rules and authority, sovereignty - were long envisioned in Hobbes' Leviathan. Hobbes believes that for humans to survive, there must be an overarching authority to mandate the commonwealth of resources. This is based on his observations about the 'natural condition of mankind':
1. Humans compete with one another to secure basic necessities of life
2. Humans will fight one another out of fear to ensure personal safety
3. Humans seek for glory both for its own sake and for its protective effects
4. Humans are equal - not in strength or wit but in capability of killing one another no matter how strong or weak, how smart or dumb each individual is
Humans are self-interested creatures who will do anything to protect themselves, even if they don't intend to hurt anyone. Therefore, it will be a 'dog-eat-dog' world if there isn't a sovereign (today's civil government) granted absolute authority to create and enforce laws, and to provide common protection for its people. Crime is not our worst enemy, anarchy is.
This idea is reinforced in a Netflix TV series called 'Gotham' - a story of crime and justice based on Batman characters by DC Comics.
"There can be no organised crime without law and order."
"The system is not the enemy. Anarchy is the enemy."
The state of nature is one without law and order. Power is extremely fluid. Without clear organisation, it can be transferred from one hand to another very quickly, incurring a lot of bloodshed in the process. To prevent the wipeout of our human species, Hobbes suggests a 'mutual transferring of rights' in the form of social contract. Individuals give up their natural rights to freely kill, fight and steal, while the sovereign gives individuals the right to common protection and property in exchange.
Though Hobbes makes a very valid point on social contract, most scholars disagree with him on the extent to which people should give up their rights. Hobbes claims that people should surrender ALL rights but John Locke, another influential political philosopher, proposes that people should only surrender limited rights. The former was seen to support authoritarian rule while the latter inspired the idea of a small, limited government.
Politics is an ongoing struggle. Throughout years of human progress, we have seen countries shifting from authoritarian to democratic to military rule. There is no 'one size fits all', but nobody has successfully debunked the idea of a sovereign - not even globalisation. We've seen organisational structures evolving from top-down hierarchy to decentralised network, but there is always a leader helming the organisation. Power is working yourself to the top, or at least to be equal with the top.
Zealous students often throw out rapid-fire answers, which may make perfect sense when you hear them for the first time, but they always miss the mark. What they tend to mention are forms or institutions in which politics manifest, but they are not politics in itself.
Politics, at the most fundamental level, is a struggle for power.
Superheroes face off
That's why there are office politics, family politics - politics in not just the top management but among people in general in daily life. Where there are people, there is competition - to be the leading authority, to command, organise and control resources - to ensure survival and security. Survival is the most basic end of POWER, and is inextricably linked to Thomas Hobbes' realist outlook of a 'dog-eat-dog' world.
To even begin understanding simple politics, we must trace back to the origin of modern political philosophy founded by Hobbes. The modern states we have today - its law and order, rules and authority, sovereignty - were long envisioned in Hobbes' Leviathan. Hobbes believes that for humans to survive, there must be an overarching authority to mandate the commonwealth of resources. This is based on his observations about the 'natural condition of mankind':
1. Humans compete with one another to secure basic necessities of life
2. Humans will fight one another out of fear to ensure personal safety
3. Humans seek for glory both for its own sake and for its protective effects
4. Humans are equal - not in strength or wit but in capability of killing one another no matter how strong or weak, how smart or dumb each individual is
Humans are self-interested creatures who will do anything to protect themselves, even if they don't intend to hurt anyone. Therefore, it will be a 'dog-eat-dog' world if there isn't a sovereign (today's civil government) granted absolute authority to create and enforce laws, and to provide common protection for its people. Crime is not our worst enemy, anarchy is.
This idea is reinforced in a Netflix TV series called 'Gotham' - a story of crime and justice based on Batman characters by DC Comics.
"There can be no organised crime without law and order."
"The system is not the enemy. Anarchy is the enemy."
The state of nature is one without law and order. Power is extremely fluid. Without clear organisation, it can be transferred from one hand to another very quickly, incurring a lot of bloodshed in the process. To prevent the wipeout of our human species, Hobbes suggests a 'mutual transferring of rights' in the form of social contract. Individuals give up their natural rights to freely kill, fight and steal, while the sovereign gives individuals the right to common protection and property in exchange.
Though Hobbes makes a very valid point on social contract, most scholars disagree with him on the extent to which people should give up their rights. Hobbes claims that people should surrender ALL rights but John Locke, another influential political philosopher, proposes that people should only surrender limited rights. The former was seen to support authoritarian rule while the latter inspired the idea of a small, limited government.
Politics is an ongoing struggle. Throughout years of human progress, we have seen countries shifting from authoritarian to democratic to military rule. There is no 'one size fits all', but nobody has successfully debunked the idea of a sovereign - not even globalisation. We've seen organisational structures evolving from top-down hierarchy to decentralised network, but there is always a leader helming the organisation. Power is working yourself to the top, or at least to be equal with the top.
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