V.J. Chalupa

On Post-Modern Politics

PART A. POLITICS – WHAT IS IT?

 POLITICS AS FREEDOM

 CHAPTER 1

EXPLAINING POLITICS

Why and how Write on Politics?

Shortly after Communism took over Czechoslovakia, a study entitled Political Control of Czechoslovakia by Dutch sociologist of Czechoslovak origin Dr.Ivan Gadourek examined the order of importance of the various spheres of social life in a communist country. This is the result: from the most important to the least important arranged in the order in which each of them influences and impacts others:

1. Politics

2. Economy

3. Science

4. Education

5. Recreation

6. Arts

7. Morals

8. Religion.

This represents a reversal of priorities when compared with the preceding era when life in the West was dominated by religion. The Faith permeated people's entire life: the hope of salvation and dread of damnation (1). Religion came first, politics last.

While Communism fell, its order of importance of various spheres of life survived in Western culture that aims to become the prevailing world culture. This is most apparent in the United States. Behavior, language and social life must be politically correct. (2) Wars are fought over ideologies and the resulting political and economic structures. Politically correct values dominating the United States are imposed on the rest of the world by international organizations and a globalized economy.

Seeking the Truth

Politics is the most influential factor in our present civilization. This is the reason why it is essential to understand it.

Knowledge presupposes understanding; understanding depends on explanation, explanation is an answer to the question "why"? "Why is something?" or "Why is something the way it is?"

Reason has only two explanatory principles: necessity or freedom. Either something exists necessarily because something else exists, it is the effect of a cause; or something exists, because it is wanted, it is a means to an end. The human mind has always used the one or other explanation intermittently; it has also endeavored always to convert all explanation to the one or other principle.

Being, in the sense of an object of knowledge and/or inquiry, can be understood as a creation of a free and almighty will pursuing its own (mostly unfathomable) purpose, as "nature" obeying and maintained by its Creator who is free to change His will at any time, but is consistent and true to Himself; He does not change His will arbitrarily.

Obedience can be exercised only by beings endowed with freedom, i.e., reason and volition. These are exhibited by men, but neither "nature" nor its parts exhibit reason and free will. This led some thinkers to conclude that reality, once it was given its impulse and its laws were given, is left to itself and is governed by necessity. The answer to the question "why" is to be looked for in the laws of necessity without direct recourse to God's will. This reasoning gave rise to science whose explanation of being as effects of causes, as causal chains, expanded the sphere of human freedom so fast and so widely that  the understanding of reality was reduced to the one single principle of necessity, of cause and effect. By an integral utilization of this principle also human freedom is explained away -- action becomes identified with activity which in turn is explained as result (effect) of biological, environmental, race, class, social circumstances, causes which determine man's behavior and prove his freedom to be an illusion.