POOH百宝箱政治类之二Leaders Politics and Morality.docx
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POOH百宝箱政治类之二Leaders Politics and Morality.docx
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POOH百宝箱政治类之二LeadersPoliticsandMorality
POOH百宝箱政治类之二—Leaders,PoliticsandMorality
MORALITYANDPOLITICS
INACHANGINGWORLD
VASSILPRODANOV
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Everycrucialsocialchangealterstheessenceoftheactivitiesinthedifferentsocialspheres,andismanifestedinnewinterconnectionsbetweenthosespheres.ThechangesinEasternEuropeandtheglobalprocessesofdemocratizationinthecontemporaryworldlead,firstly,toalterationsintheconceptofmoralityandpolitics.Forwhen,inbothspheres,therebegintoprevailelementswhicharecommontoallmankind,newelementsappearinvaluesandtheirregulation.Secondly,theyleadtochangesinthestructureoftheinterrelationsbetweenpoliticsandmorality,andviceversa.Allthisrevivestheancientproblemoftherelationbetweenmoralityandpolitics.
Bothmoralityandpoliticsservetoregulateordirecthumanbehavior.Theydiffer,however,inthestrengthoftheirregulationanddemanddifferent,thoughrelated,personalqualities.Groups,classesandseparatepersonsareinterrelatedmorally.Dependingontheconcretehistoricalpoliticalpeculiaritiesofthisinterrelation,somemoralqualitiesofapoliticiancanbeeasilydeveloped,whileothers,whichconcretelyandhistoricallyconflictwithhispolicyandpoliticalgoals,couldceasetodevelopandbecomerudimentaryandoppositequalities.
Asaregulator,moralityisdirectedtowardstheother:
itconcernsinterpersonalrelationsandinterrelationsbetweenthepersonandgroup.Incontrasttomorality,politicsregulatesmainlyrelationsbetweenthegroupsandthestateandbetweenthedifferentsocio-politicalorganizations;directlyorindirectlytheseareconnectedwiththefunctionofstatepower.
Therefore,theboundariesbetweenthespheresofmoralityandpoliticsareveryflexible.Insomeperiodsparticularrelationscanberegulatedbymoralmechanisms,whichinotherperiodsareruledbypoliticalones.Theinteractionbetweenthosemechanismsdependsontheparticularsocialcontradictionsandtheobjectivepossibilitiesofachievingclass,nationalandstategoalsbyactinginaccordancewith,orneglecting,respectivemoralvaluesandnorms.
THESUBORDINATIONOFMORALITY
TOPOLITICSANDVICEVERSA
Themutualsubordinationbetweenmoralityandpoliticsdependsuponadditionalfactorsaswell.Thedeeperthecontradictionsbetweenpersons,classesandnationsthemorerealthepossibilitiesofseparation,contradictionandconflictbetweenmoralityandpolitics.Insuchasituationthehealthandlife,aswellasthesatisfactionoftheordinaryneedsofsinglepersons,easilycouldbeneglectedinthepursuitofpoliticalgoals.Themainmechanismofthecontradictionsbetweenmoralityandpoliticsarethepolitizationofmoralityandthemoralizationofpolitics.Themoralizationofpoliticsconsistsindisregardingthespecificcharacterofthepoliticalsphereandthetendencytousemoralitytoexplainpoliticalgoalsandtosolvepoliticalproblemsalthoughthisremainsobjectivelyimpossibleforagivenhistoricalstageordefinitesocialgroup.Thepolitizationofmoralityconsistsintheintroductionofpoliticalprinciplesandcriteriafortheregulationoftherelationsbetweenpersonsandbetweengroupsandpersonsthroughareplacementofmoralitybypolitics.Insphereswheremoralityshouldhavearelativelyindependentrole,itisidentifiedwithpoliticsoritsinfluenceisrestrictedtosituationsinwhichthereisnodangerthatitcanconflictwithpolitics.Suchapolitizationischaracteristicofperiodsofrevolutionandgreatsocialclasheswheretheindividualpersonfacestheneedtojoinactivelyinthelife-and-deathstruggleforthedefenceoftheglobalinterestsoftheclassandthenation.
Whenpoliticaltheory,ideologyandpracticecomeintosharpcontradictionwiththemoralityofthepeople,theylosetheirefficacyandintheendaredoomedtofailure.Therefore,everypoliticaltheory,ideologyandpracticeseeksmoraljustificationandargumentsinordertobeacceptedbythemasses.Butwhenpoliticaltheorycontradictstosomedegreethemoralityofpeopleormasses,thenpoliticiansseektocamouflagethiscontradictionwithpoliticaldemagogy.Thehigherthestageatwhichthepoliticsofadefiniteorganization,partyorstatecontradictsthemoralvaluesofthepeople,thestrongertheneedfordemagogyandthegreatertheuseofdifferentmeansofpropagandaforthispurpose.
Themoralfeelingsofthepopularmassesarethemostdirectearlyindicatorsofwhethertheactionsofthepoliticalsystemarejustified.Thatmostpeoplebegintoacceptcertainpoliticalactionsandorganizationsasdiscordantwiththeirmoralfeelingsindicatesanemergingcrisisinthesociety.Apoliticalsystemwhichtakesmoralityintoconsiderationdoesnotinprinciplegobeyondcertainmoralboundaries.Moreover,throughitsfunctioningthesystemitstrengthensthoseboundsandformsappropriatemoralqualitiesinthepersons.Allthismeansthatpoliticalandmoralgoals,meansandactionscancontradictoneanotheronlywithincertainbounds;ifthosearetrespassedthepoliticalsystemisthreatenedbyinstabilityandfailure.
Nosociallyimportantactioniswithoutapositiveornegativemoraldimension.Allpoliticalactionsarecarriedoutbypersonsandconcernrelationsbetweenpersons.Relationsbetweenseparatepersonsinthepoliticalspherearebasedonacertainmoralcodewhichisproducedspontaneouslyinpoliticalpractice.Thiscanalsobemadepublicofficiallyandserveasoneofthebasesforevaluatingpoliticiansonbehalfofthepopulaceaswellasonbehalfofthedifferentpoliticalinstitutions,unitsandrepresentativesofthepoliticalhierarchy.Dependingonthepeculiaritiesofthepoliticalgoals,meansandpracticesofacertaingroupororganization,themoralcodewhichinfluencesthebehaviourofthepoliticianswillcorrespondtoorcontradictinsomedegreetheirmoraldemands.
ThePowerofCharacter
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Nobodyisutterlygoodorbad.Thisisacrucialfacttokeepinmindwhenwetrytodepictaperson’soverallcharacter.Weare,eachofus,acomplexsetofselves,integrated—moreorless—intoawhole.Yetthewholeisallbutimpossibletoevaluate.SowelookattheRev.MartinLutherKing,Jr.andwearelikelytojudgehimhighlybasedonthepowerofhispropheticministrydespiteevidenceoftawdrymoralityinhispersonallife.Welookat—oh,sayAdolphHitler—and,judgehimasevilbecauseweknowofhismurderoushatefulnessthatledtothedeathsofmillions.Wedonotmuchcarewhetherhecarriedcandyinhispocketstogivetochildren,assomeofhisbiographersclaim.
Whenwemakemoralevaluationsoffamouspeopleweoftenfocusonasingledimensionoftheircharacter.Forourevaluationsofthefamousareoftennotmeanttobethoroughmoralprofilesbutteachingtools.Wetendtosingleoutthetraitswewanttoavoidoremulate.SoweuseGeorgeWashingtonasamantoocomplicatedtobecategorized.
TheMoralCharacterofPoliticalLeaders
DiscussionoftheprivatemoralityofourpoliticalleadersreachednewheightsduringthePresidencyofBillClinton.Highlypublicizedaccusationsthathehadalong-termadulterousaffairwithGenniferFlowersandthathesexuallyharassedPaulaJonesinhisyearsasGovernorofArkansaswerecappedbyanintensiveinvestigationofchargesthat,asPresident,hehadanimpropersexualrelationshipwithMonicaLewinsky,aWhiteHouseintern.WithalltherighteousindignationonewouldthinkhewasthefirstPresidenttobechargedwithimpropersexualconduct.YetevenacursoryreviewoftheprivatelivesofpastPresidentsrevealssubstantialevidencethatFranklinRoosevelt,DwightEisenhower,LyndonJohnsonandJohnKennedyhadextramaritalaffairs.ThomasJefferson,manybelieve,fatheredchildrenbyoneofhisslaves.AndGroverClevelandconfessedtohavinganillegitimatechild.
MuchofthepressandmostofMr.Clinton’smostardentdetractorsexpressedamazementthatthroughtheworstoftheMonicaLewinskycharges,hemaintainedextraordinarilyhighapprovalratingsforthejobhewasdoingasPresident.YetitmaybequitesensibletolookatPresidentClintonandhispredecessors—orforthatmatter,anypeoplecurrentlyinpubliclife—anddistinguishbetweentheirpublicselvesandtheirprivateselves,evaluatingeachindependently.Ourwillingnesstomakethissortofprivate-publicdistinctionaffectsmorethanpresidents.Itaffectstheverylanguageweusetodescribewhichpublicfiguresaremorallygoodandwhichpeoplearenot.Itgoes,really,toourdeepestunderstandingoftheexistenceandnatureoftheprivatesphere—thesphereintowhich,inthebestAmericantradition,onesimplydoesnotpry.
Thewallbetweenpublicandprivateisanimportantonetomaintainevenifitmeanswewillsometimesignorepersonaltraitsorconductthatcouldwelldiminishouropinionoftheoverallperson.Weshouldmaintainthiswallnottoprotectpublicfiguresfromthejudgmentsthatmightnaturallyflowfromtheirconductbutbecauseweshouldprizeandprotecttheideaofprivacy.Privacy,afterall,isvitaltoouressence.Itcomeswithourhumanitythatweareentitledtoaregionwherewecanfreelythink,speak,andbehavewithconfidencethatweare,forthatinstant,onourown.Thisisnottodenytheimportanceofnormsofconductinholdingthecommunitytogether.Normsarecrucial.Communityiscrucial.Thelinksweformtoothersarecrucial.Butsoarespacestobeourselves.Moreover,alifewithoutprivacywouldbepsychologicallyintolerable.
PoliticansAreNotAndShouldNotBeMoralLeaders
Ithinkitisv
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