Politics is any activity related to how power, authority and resources are distributed, used and managed in society.
In short:
- It determines decision-making processes in societies where people live together.
- It regulates who gets what, how and when (money, status, rights, security, etc.).
- It is used both in everyday life (“politics at home”) and at the state level (“government politics”).
In the famous words of Aristotle: “Man is a political animal” (zoon politikon). In other words, politics is inherent in human nature, because coexistence is necessary and rules, agreements and power relations are required to organize this coexistence.
Politics is not only about elections, parties and governments. It also means:
- Decision-making in the family,
- The boss-worker relationship at work,
- Student-teacher dynamics at school,
- In the international arena, inter-state relations are also part of politics.
What is political science?
Political science is a branch of social science that studies the phenomenon of politics with scientific methods.
Objective:
- Analyze political events, institutions, behaviors and systems objectively and systematically,
- Finding answers to the question, “Why is this happening?”,
- It is an attempt to anticipate possible future developments.
The main sub-branches are:
- Comparative politics: Compare the systems of different countries (democracy, dictatorship, monarchy, etc.).
- International relations: War and peace between states, alliances, global economy.
- History of political thought: The evolution of political ideas from Plato to Rawls.
- Political behavior: Why do voters vote, how does propaganda influence?
- Public administration and public policy: How is the state run, how are taxes spent?
Political science asks both normative (how should it be?) and positive (what is actually happening?) questions.
For example:
- “Is democracy the best system?” (normative)
- “Which factors determine voter behavior in Turkey?” (positive)
To summarize:
- Politics = Life itself (the practice of power and decision-making)
- Political Science = The science that studies this practice as a laboratory
Both are inseparable; we cannot have political science without politics, and we cannot make politics conscious without political science.
Is there a politician without foresight?
Does Özgür Özel act according to the voter profile? Can a leader who does not know political science be a politician? Like a teenage high school boy, he has stayed in dormitories. He has neither political knowledge nor political science.
Let's talk about Özgür Özel's predictions... For example, the Minister of Justice announced Akın Gürlek's assets with fake documents, in violation of the KVKK. The incident turned back on itself like a boomerang. Both the allegation of a $20 million fortune and the attempt to make a profit by buying an apartment in Beşiktaş, which has a demolition order, and having the demolition order lifted... A politician who cannot foresee the consequences cannot be a politician.
The more he spoke out, the more Murat Emir's assets were questioned. The more he spoke out, the more his own weaknesses were revealed.
Politics requires rationality, it requires foresight, it requires knowing the society. And more than that, a politician who does not know Turkish society cannot open a “Tomb of Thief Baba” in Silivri and gather 500 people.
A politician who cannot convince the masses cannot sit in that seat.