Managing Ourselves

For centuries, this study has been valuable to societies. I spent about a year going through it to better understand the subject. Hopefully this is interesting to others in an understandable format. 

Introduction: Nicomachaen Ethics, Book I, Chapter 1-3

We as humans are creative and curious and therefore we make things and we study. Naturally we pursue what we think is best. There are good practices and there are also good products. Some actions give us experiences that are enjoyed right away. Other actions lead into something better.  For instance, medicine is studied to give health, engineering is studied to produce cars, buildings etc.  The effort we make is always to get something we consider better and good. We desire excellence in whatever activity we do; it doesn’t matter if it is a trivial action in pursuit of something bigger or something that is good in itself.

For everything there is always a goal. It has to be achievable.  We cannot go on chasing things forever or we would all live empty lives. This goal must top the list of everything good. By knowing what it is, we will live more fulfilled lives. It would be a subject worth studying and would be considered the best knowledge we could ever obtain. Political science; the study of human associations, is of this nature. How we govern ourselves as a nation and how we govern ourselves as individuals determines our outcome.

In examining this subject we want to be clear, but at the same time cannot answer every question raised. As in any subject, generalizations are needed for teaching purposes and we cannot address every angle. Political Science is a subject that can have so many situations and opinions that people might form the conclusion that there is no natural truth but it is determined by society. We see with goods that sometimes they ruin people, such as wealth. Even courage can be reckless and cause harm. So speaking in general about things that are for the most part true is the only way to address this subject. A well educated person will know when to digress into details and when generalizations are appropriate. It is as foolish to ask for generalizations from a mathematician as it would be to demand precise scientific reasoning from a politician.  

People are good judges of the things they have experience in. A person who has studied one subject will be an expert in it, but lack expertise in other areas. Someone who has a well-rounded education is a better judge when it comes to generalities. Youth have a much harder time grasping politics because they have so little all-around life experience to draw from. But a living a good life is what this study is about. They also tend to follow passions and have little understanding. Immature people are the same way; they jump on every bandwagon without giving much thought to what they are doing. To a thoughtful mature person, this kind of study is invaluable.

We should now be clear on the purpose of this study, how it will be approached and what kind of mindset is needed.