Everyone seems like an expert in politics when criticizing their governments. Aristotle considered politics a noble science, but today the term has acquired a rather denigrating connotation. So, what exactly is politics? What are the duties of politicians towards their citizens and vice versa? Are we as educated in politics as we need to be to rightfully demand accountability from our political leaders?
The role of the political community is to create conditions for people to develop integrally.
The better world is the world with better people; not with better policies. (imo)
Some democracies help sometimes.
Democracy can degrade into the dictatorship of the majority.
The people have the right to protect themselves against their governments even with weapons.
Christian politicians and public servants are obliged to act with Christian conscience.
Due to historical reasons, the divide between crude individualism and extreme collectivism is expressed in the increasing political polarization between the right and left. The right tends to embrace the belief that societies are conglomerates of individuals with absolute rights, which society and the State should not infringe upon. State interventions are often interpreted as intrusions that restrict personal freedoms. On the other side of this polarization, leftist visions advocate for State intervention to achieve societal equality, believing that only equality reflects fairness.
The SCT, however, recognizes the dignity of the individual, whose right to exercise personal autonomy is fundamental and must be respected and promoted by both society and the State. At the same time, it acknowledges that humans form societies that require social leadership precisely in order to attain common necessary objectives, namely, the common good. From this perspective, it can be concluded that social leadership is a service to individual citizens and should be subordinate to the common good. Secondly, the State has a duty to tailor its intervention to the needs of society.
The most important principle governing State intervention is the principle of subsidiarity. The State should intervene only when necessary to attain some common good. The primary role of the State, then, is to create opportunities for citizens to develop autonomously. When such development is lacking or not occurring, the State should devise strategies to facilitate it. Therein lies the creativity and role of political prudence.