What is politics?

Humans are special in two ways: we can reason and reflect on our actions, and we can use language to share ideas about what is good and desirable. Political theory grows from these two abilities. It asks questions such as: How should society be organised? Why do we need government? What is the best form of government? Does law limit our freedom? What does the state owe its citizens, and what do citizens owe each other?

What is politics? People see it very differently:

• Political leaders may call it public service.
• Others link it with manipulation and intrigue: defecting from parties, false promises, pursuing personal interest ruthlessly, even crime and 'scams'. When anyone pushes their interest by any means, we say they are 'playing politics'.
• Many then say, 'I am not interested in politics.' Even business people who fund parties, and film stars who later join them, complain about it.

But politics is an important and integral part of any society. Mahatma Gandhi once said that politics envelops us like the coils of a snake, and there is no way out but to wrestle with it. No society can exist without some form of political organisation and collective decision-making.

• A society must take account of the many needs and interests of its members. Institutions like the family, tribes and economic institutions help people live together; governments play a key part.
• What governments do affects us deeply: they decide economic, foreign and educational policy. Good policies can raise literacy and jobs; a corrupt or weak government that lets conflicts turn violent can close markets and schools, stop the sick from reaching hospitals, and disrupt our studies.
• So people take an active interest: we form associations, organise campaigns, negotiate, protest and hold demonstrations to change laws, and debate our representatives' actions.

In short, politics arises from our different visions of what is just and desirable. It involves the many negotiations through which collective decisions are made: at one level, what governments do; at another, how people struggle to influence decisions. People are doing politics whenever they negotiate with each other and take part in collective activities meant to solve common problems.

Example (new): residents of a housing colony who meet to decide how to share the cost of a water tank, then write to the municipality for a better supply, are engaged in politics in this broad sense.