 |
| Image credit. |
Continued from here.
When people turn their critical eyes to politics, what they often seem to forget is the extent to which we are ignorant of the full panoply of circumstances that define and impact the positions and prospects of those engaging in politics and those being affected by it. In coming to grips with the role of politics in human affairs, it is not helpful to jump at once at dismissive interpretations of the business as in the popular habit to pillory politicians or to revel in the comical cluelessness of electors. The implied standard is erroneous. We do politics to find out what we cannot know otherwise.
In (2) I argue in essence:
Continued here.Democratic Politics Is a Discovery Process - Politics Reduces Our IgnoranceAlso, what I was far from being able to grasp at the time is that political activity is a discovery process no less than market activities. Politics is being engaged in to find things out, which includes figuring out options for reasonable interaction in the face of our different variants of ignorance. Yes, incomplete information is a problem. But no only is politics required for us to better adapt to that vast residual of ignorance that is man's lot at any time and in any kind of society. Politics is also a means to become more informed, about what we think, what the stakes and views among us are that need to be coordinated - sometimes just by being considerate. Last not least, politics is a way of creating the society we wish to live in. You cannot grant human beings political freedom and expect them not to use it. Of course, in practising politics people will often fail, but then, they will come up with good results as well. Free and equal means that everyone who cares to participate in the shaping of society is invited to do so. Democratic political participation is, among other things, a reassurance, indeed a proof that we are serious about all humans being free and equal.
No comments:
Post a Comment