ETHICS AND POLITICS

THIRD TERM

ETHICS AND POLITICS

Politics do not consist of fighting for power on the contrary, it is a noble activity focused on social welfare. Politics is not just a politician’s concern. It is part of everybody’s life. Each citizen must participate, criticize and be aware of all the decisions taken by their government.

Democracy is the best way to organize the social convenience. It is a model based on an ethical project. It consists of four key elements: (a) A political system for choosing and replacing the government through free and fair elections; (b) The active participation of the people, as citizens, in politics and civic life; (c) Protection of the human rights of all citizens, and (d) A rule of law, in which the laws and procedures apply equally to all citizens

Democracy was born in Athens in 508BC. The most famous definition was given by Pericles in the year 431:

“Our constitution does not copy the laws of neighboring states; we are rather a pattern to others than imitators ourselves. Its administration favors the many instead of the few; this is why it is called a democracy… The law is equal for all of us”

Political power

Political power is the one exerted on public matters, on the state and its institutions by means of public channels.

Political power has to be legal and legitimate.

Legal: If the government has achieved its power fulfilling the laws of the state.

      Legitimate: If the election laws and procedures are fair and have been accepted by citizens,              respecting the rights of everyone and governed by ethical rules.

Relationship between ethics and politics

Machiavelli was a Florentine humanist during the Renaissance. He had responsibilities in diplomatic and military affairs. He was a founder of modern political science and more specifically, political ethics. He wrote “The Prince”, where he shows his views of the importance of a having a strong ruler. He should be unscrupulous and ambitious. This point of view was often seen as evil and immoral. For Machiavelli: “the end justifies the means”.

In an ideal world, the ruler of a nation should be respectful with the law and its moral principles. “the ends don’t justify the means”. He shouldn’t commerce with the nations that don’t respect human rights, for instance. But the relationship between ethics and politics is hard in real life. Everybody should respect ethics however; this doesn’t happen in the world. There are people who want to impose their will and take advantage of others. We should work to build up a society where we could reach our private project of happiness.

The relationship between ethics and politics is complicated but it is absolutely necessary to avoid situations of injustice and discrimination.

Political corruption

It is the use of power by government officials or position of power to get private benefits illegally. Forms of corruption vary but include: extortion, money laundering, nepotism, trading in influence, etc. The activities that constitute illegal corruption differ depending on the country or jurisdiction. But sometimes it is not only the politicians who act illegally but also the lobbies are the instigators of a crime.

What is a lobby? A group that attempts to influence a legislation or government spending plans to achieve a result more favorable to its agenda or objectives.

The work of the judiciary system is crucial to fight against political corruption. The judges have to make people observe and obey the law. Apart from that, they must defend the citizens’ rights. Finally, the most important thing is the independence of the judiciary system to sanction the political corruption.

WORK IN SMALL GROUPS AND ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS

1-      Do you believe in democracy? Why or why not?

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2-      Do you think it is the best political way of ruling a country? Are there any better ones?

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3-      Are all citizens prepared to decide their political representatives, who will decide on their jobs, lives, etc.?

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4-      Is political corruption related to the development of a country?

“The less developed a country is, the more corruption there is”

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5-      People can vote at the age of 18, but the legal age for working is 16. Do you agree? Explain your answer.

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ANALYSIS OF THE FILM “WAG THE DOG” 1997

1-      What’s the meaning of the title? –( Why the film is called this way)

2-      Order the actions that compose the fiction of the conflict:

a.       The shooting of the  Albanian village     ______

b.      The making of the song and slogans       ______

c.       The invention of the hero                        ______

d.      The repeated  negation of a conflict        ______

3-      What part of the false conflict is the most manipulated in your opinion?

4-      Along the story, part of the country gets identified with the messages the media spread; e.g. the hanging shoes. Do you remember something similar that happened in real life?

5-      Make a personal assessment of the image of politics in the film.

PROJECT PRESENTATION ON POLITICAL ETHICS

1-      CHOOSE ONE OF THESE ITEMS TO WORK IN GROUP.

a.  The French Revolution is important in the history of the present democracies (Abolition of Feudalism, The National Assembly taking the Tennis Court Oath, The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen of 26 August 1789, etc.) Explain why it was a turning point in History and in politics.

b.   Hobbes was one of the most important English philosophers and formulated the Social Contract theory for the first time and it was later developed by other authors. What did it consist of? Explain.

c.   The Ancient Greek democracy was not the same as the one today. Tell its origins and characteristics. Compare it to a modern one: e.g. USA democracy.

d.      Explain two cases of political corruption in your country:

                                                              i.    Pujol, Urdangarin, Bárcenas, Caja Madrid black credit cards, Camps and the Gürtel affair, Fabra and Castellón airport …

e.  Tiananment revolt 1989. What happened for the revolt to happen? What happened after the revolt? Do you think it was worth doing it? Do Chinese people enjoy individual rights nowadays? 

f.   What kind of political regimes are there in the world today? Find examples and explain them. Are they politically ethical? Why or why not?

2-   YOU MUST INVESTIGATE THE SUBJECT AND TELL WHAT IT HAS TO DO WITH ETHICS. PRESENT THE INFORMATION ORALLY TO THE CLASS. YOU MUST SUPPORT YOUR INFORMATION WITH PHOTOGRAPHS, GRAPHICS, QUOTATIONS, VIDEOS, BIBLIOGRAPHY, ETC.

3- THE ORAL INFORMATION SHOULD BE  WRITTEN DOWN ON A WORD DOCUMENTAND BOTH, THE WORD DOCUMENT AND THE DIGITAL PRESENTATION SHOULD BE SENT TO THE CLASS EMAIL.

4-      THE PROJECT WILL BE UPLOADED TO THE CLASS BLOG.