Editing Politics (section)

== Approaches ==
There are several ways in which approaching politics has been conceptualized.

=== Extensive and limited ===
[[Adrian Leftwich]] has differentiated views of politics based on how extensive or limited their perception of what accounts as 'political' is.<ref>{{harvnb|Leftwich|2004|pp=14–15}}.</ref> The extensive view sees politics as present across the sphere of human social relations, while the limited view restricts it to certain contexts. For example, in a more restrictive way, politics may be viewed as primarily about [[governance]],<ref>{{harvnb|Leftwich|2004|p=23}}.</ref> while a [[Feminist political theory|feminist perspective]] could argue that sites which have been viewed traditionally as non-political, should indeed be viewed as political as well.<ref>{{harvnb|Leftwich|2004|p=119}}.</ref> This latter position is encapsulated in the slogan "''[[the personal is political]]''", which disputes the distinction between private and public issues. Politics may also be defined by the use of power, as has been argued by [[Robert A. Dahl]].<ref>{{harvnb|Dahl|2003|pp=1–11}}.</ref>

=== Moralism and realism ===
Some perspectives on politics view it empirically as an exercise of power, while others see it as a social function with a [[normative]] basis.<ref>{{harvnb|Morlino|2017|p=2}}.</ref> This distinction has been called the difference between [[Moralism|political ''moralism'']] and [[Realism (international relations)|political ''realism'']]''.''<ref name=":3">{{harvnb|Atkinson|2013|pp=1–5}}.</ref> For moralists, politics is closely linked to [[ethics]], and is at its extreme in [[utopia]]n thinking.<ref name=":3" /> For example, according to [[Hannah Arendt]], the view of [[Aristotle]] was that, "to be political…meant that everything was decided through words and persuasion and not through violence";<ref>{{harvnb|Leftwich|2004|p=73}}.</ref> while according to [[Bernard Crick]], "politics is the way in which free societies are governed. Politics is politics, and other forms of rule are something else."<ref>{{harvnb|Leftwich|2004|p=16}}.</ref> In contrast, for realists, represented by those such as [[Niccolò Machiavelli]], [[Thomas Hobbes]], and [[Harold Lasswell]], politics is based on the use of power, irrespective of the ends being pursued.<ref>{{harvnb|Morlino|2017|p=3}}.</ref><ref name=":3" />

=== Conflict and co-operation ===
[[Agonism]] argues that politics essentially comes down to conflict between conflicting interests. Political scientist Elmer Schattschneider argued that "at the root of all politics is the universal language of conflict",<ref>{{cite book |last1=Schattschneider |first1=Elmer Eric |title=The semisovereign people : a realist's view of democracy in America |date=1960 |publisher=Dryden P |isbn=0-03-013366-1 |page=2 |oclc=859587564}}</ref> while for [[Carl Schmitt]] the essence of politics is the distinction of 'friend' from 'foe'.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Mouffe |first1=Chantal |author-link=Chantal Mouffe |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8yIEQ1RPGx8C&q=carl+schmitt+1999&pg=PR7 |title=The Challenge of Carl Schmitt |date=1999 |publisher=Verso |isbn=978-1-85984-244-7 |language=en |access-date=28 October 2020 |archive-date=26 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126155532/https://books.google.com/books?id=8yIEQ1RPGx8C&q=carl+schmitt+1999&pg=PR7 |url-status=live }}</ref> This is in direct contrast to the more co-operative views of politics by Aristotle and Crick. However, a more mixed view between these extremes is provided by Irish political scientist Michael Laver, who noted that:<blockquote>Politics is about the characteristic blend of conflict and co-operation that can be found so often in human interactions. Pure conflict is war. Pure co-operation is true love. Politics is a mixture of both.<ref>{{harvnb|van der Eijk|2018|pp=11, 29}}.</ref></blockquote>