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What is aristotle's main lesson on politics
Aristotle's politics essay
Aristotle and the polity
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The tragedy of the commons and the problem of collective action are two key concepts in the world of political science. They act under the assumption that man is a rational being who will act in his own self interest. Humanity id broadly diverse meaning that each individual has their own ideas as to how society should run and how people should live.(heywood) This inevitably results in disagreement and this is where politics steps in. Aristotle described politics as the ‘master science’, ‘the activity through which human beings attempt to improve their lives and create the Good Society.’ Through the tragedy of the commons and the problem of collective action we can see how politics is essentially the ‘search for conflict resolution’ (heywood) and aims to create a cohesive society benefiting all.
Elinor Ostrom p186 goes so far as to say ‘The theory of collective action is the central subject of political science’ . The idea of collective action is essentially when a group of individuals with common interests work together to further those common interests benefitting all. Indeed problems of collective action permeate all aspects of politics, ranging from local neighbourhood level to international level.(ostrom) Collective action can be seen at work in international relations, public bureaucracies and also explains voting, lobby group formation and how citizens control their governments in a democracy (ostrom presidential) Cerny (site) states that ‘the state has been the key structural arena within which collective action has been situated and undertaken.’ However collective action can prove difficult for groups to achieve.
Individuals are assumed to act rationally and aim to further their own personal objectives. Man is assumed t...
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...trom, E., 1998. A Behavioral Approach to the Rational Choice Theory of Collective Action: Presidential Address. The American Political Science Review, 92(1), pp. 1-22.
Ostrom, E., 2000. Collective Action and the Evolution of Social Norms. The Journal of Economic Perspectives, 14(3), pp. 137-158.
Ostrom, E., 2007. Collective Action Theory. In: C. Boix & S. C. Stokes, eds. The Oxford Handbook of Comparative Politics. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 186-208.
Ostrom, E., 2008. Tragedy of the Commons. In: S. N. Durlauf & L. E. Blume, eds. The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics. Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan.
Stoker, G., 2006. Why Politics Matter. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Tierney, J., 2009. The Non-Tragedy of the Commons. [Online]
Available at: http://tierneylab.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/15/the-non-tragedy-of-the-commons/?_r=1
[Accessed 11 January 2014]
Polletta, Francesca and James Jasper. “Collective Identity and Social Movements.” Annual Review of Sociology 27.1 (2001): 283–305. Print.
... Barreto, M. (2009). Collective Action in Modern Times: How Modern Expressions of Prejudice Prevent Collective Action. Journal of Social Issues, 749-768.
Kramnick, Isaac and Lowi, Theory, J. American Political Thought: A Norton Anthology. W. W. Norton, 2000.
The ADL is very large organization with vast influence benefiting millions of people around the globe, and according to Olson’s collective action problem members could be dissuaded from parti...
Mattner, Jesse. Mancur Olson’s, The Logic of Collective Action, Abridged (Chapters I & II). http://www. lawrence.edu/sorg/econ24/articles/Mattner3.html.
A public good is defined as an economic good or service that is non-rivalrous and non-excludable. Due to scarcity and human greed, public goods will always be underprovided. Since it is impossible to stop someone from consuming these types of goods, people will keep on consuming it until there is none left. If one does not consume or harvest it today, someone else will consume it tomorrow. This had brought an attention to ecologist, Garrett Hardin. Hardin came up with an economic theory called “The tragedy of Commons” .What is tragedy of commons? The tragedy of commons befalls when individuals act based on their personal interest ignoring the well-being of society. Due to his theory, natural resources are depleting drastically because they are being exploited with no limit.
In general, social movements have been identified as being “an answer to a threat or hope that is directly linked to the control that a social group has over its capacity to make decisions, to control changes” (Touraine, 2002, p. 1). Adding to this, McCarthy and Zald
Paul Hawken, in the chapter “Blessed Unrest,” records the people of a new social movement, as well as their ideals, goals, and principles. He writes how they are connected, along with the diversity and differences they bring to make the social movement unique. Hawken communicates to the readers the various social, environmental, and political problems they will encounter in today’s world as well as similar problems of the past. Problems that these groups of organizations are planning to undertake with the perseverance of humanity.
The Tragedy of the Commons “is a problem that occurs when individuals exploit a shared resource to the extent that demand overwhelms supply and the resource becomes unavailable to some or all” (Wigmore, 2013, August). He explains if by using an example of herdsman caring for their cattle in a common land owned by others. Everyone in the land have the same number of cattle they are allowed to have. If one herdsman was being self-centered things and had more cattle because he was thinking of his needs would then damage the community by “overloading it, erosion set in, weeds take over, and he loses the use of the pasture. He would just worry about his goals now and not the overall outcome which not only affected him, but the other herdsmen as well. (Hardin, 1974,
Rational choice theory, developed by Ronald Clarke and Derek Cornish in 1985, is a revival of Cesare Becca...
Hoffman, J. & Graham, P. (2009), Introduction to Political Theory, 2nd Edition: London: Pearson Education Limited.
‘The Tragedy of the Commons’ deals with the over growing population and suggests a solution in a unique prospect. Undeniably, science and technology is often suggested as a solution to the problem (by majority of the published journal). However, Hardin believes that there is no technical solution, and would only aggravate to the issue if the universe does not change its attitude/ assumption that there is an ‘actual’ technical solution. Hardin tackled the population problem in a harsh manner; defining the roots of the problem and to his idea of solution. Hardin examined the correlation between the population and resources, then analyzed the key factors that caused the population to swell.
Human nature is not simply a measure of our human tendencies. It is both individual and collective. It does not explain why events happen. Instead, it explains the subconscious of each individual in the instant that events happen. The social order that best fits human nature is one where the informed opinions of everyone creates decisions and causes action. Madison’s argument for and against factions, Aristotle’s idea of ultimate happiness, and Locke’s concept of popular government and human rights all offer a significant component to the larger concept that is human nature. While some may argue that we will only fully understand human nature when we are met with death, still we can begin to capture a slight understanding to what governs human nature and the political order that helps it grow.
Rational choice theories not only seek to explain the decisions that some people make, but also to help us to better understand decisions that others don’t make. We therefore have an examination of deterrence theories. Traditionally...
As the movement evolved from a mob mentality with picketing and random activism, collectivism began to catch on as more formal groups organized and gained recognition in the political arena. Individuals began to realize that there was more power for change in groups that were deeply committed to uniting together under the umbrella of a common cause. In this manner, the first collective bargaining units were formed and expanded. Labor movements have been an ongoing topic of inte...