Editing Politics (section)

== Etymology ==
The English word ''politics'' has its roots in the name of [[Aristotle]]'s classic work, ''[[Politics (Aristotle)|Politiká]]'', which introduced the [[Ancient Greek]] term {{Transliteration|grc|''politiká''}} ({{langx|grc|Πολιτικά|label=none|italic=yes|lit=affairs of the cities}})''.'' In the mid-15th century, Aristotle's composition was rendered in [[Early Modern English]] as {{Sic|''Polettiques''}},<ref group="lower-alpha">"The book of {{Sic|Etiques and of Polettiques}}" (Bhuler 1961/1941:154).</ref><ref>Buhler, C. F., ed. 1961 [1941]. ''[[Dictes and Sayings of the Philosophers|The Dictes and Sayings of the Philosophers]].'' London: [[Early English Text Society]], [https://books.google.com/books?id=M7G0AAAAIAAJ ''Original Series'' No. 211] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160905030633/https://books.google.com/books?id=M7G0AAAAIAAJ&q= |date=5 September 2016 }}.</ref> which became ''Politics'' in [[Modern English]].

The singular ''politic'' first attested in English in 1430, coming from [[Middle French]] {{Langx|fr|politique|label=none}}—itself taking from {{Langx|la|politicus|label=none}},<ref>{{harvnb|Lewis|Short|1879|loc=online}}.</ref> a [[Latinisation of names|Latinization]] of the Greek {{langx|grc|πολιτικός|label=none|italic=yes}} ({{Transliteration|grc|politikos}}) from {{langx|grc|πολίτης|label=none}} ({{langx|grc|polites|label=none|italic=yes|lit=citizen}}) and {{langx|grc|πόλις|label=none}} ({{langx|grc|[[polis]]|label=none|italic=yes|lit=city}}).<ref name="A Greek-English Lexicon">{{cite web |title=A Greek-English Lexicon |url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3Dpolitiko%2Fs |last1=Liddell |first1=Henry George |last2=Scott |first2=Robert |website=Perseus Digital Library |publisher=Tufts Library |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924203856/http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3Dpolitiko%2Fs |archive-date=24 September 2015 |access-date=19 February 2016}}</ref>

=== Definitions ===
* [[Harold Lasswell]]: "who gets what, when, how"<ref>{{harvnb|Lasswell|1963}}.</ref>
* [[David Easton]]: "the authoritative allocation of values for a society"<ref name="Easton 1981">{{harvnb|Easton|1981}}.</ref>
* [[Vladimir Lenin]]: "the most concentrated expression of economics"<ref>{{harvnb|Lenin|1965}}.</ref>
* [[Otto von Bismarck]]: "the capacity of always choosing at each instant, in constantly changing situations, the least harmful, the most useful"<ref>Reichstag speech by Bismarck, January 29, 1886, in: ''Bismarck, The Collected Works''. Friedrichsruher edition, vol. 13: Speeches. Edited by Wilhelm Schüßler, Berlin 1930, p. 177.</ref>
* [[Bernard Crick]]: "a distinctive form of rule whereby people act together through institutionalized procedures to resolve differences"<ref>{{harvnb|Crick|1972}}.</ref>
* [[Adrian Leftwich]]: "comprises all the activities of co-operation, negotiation and conflict within and between societies"<ref>{{harvnb|Leftwich|2004}}.</ref>