Structure of the Inquiry
Prior Taxonomic Thinking
Politics seemed to be a prime candidate for a Spiral of Growth analysis, because:
- It involves both formal and informal social and psychological processes—the psychosocial reality criterion.
- The nature of politics seems to allow for evolution from a primitive stage to something stronger and better—the transformation with effort criterion.
- It engages every society and group (e.g. organizations, associations) and affects everyone within them—the universal applicability criterion.
This inquiry into politics requires a basic understanding of the ethical choice approaches: and these are explained briefly on this site. Those who want more detail can download Ch 6: Making an Ethical Choice (free) from «Working with Values: Software of the Mind» (1995).
Get an initial orientation to the ethics-politics nexus.
Reminder of Inquiry Principles
Except as background, I am uninterested in the many uses of the word «politics». Nor did do I start by defining the concept of «politics».
Instead, I want to describe something in social life that we all know exists for a good reason i.e. its purpose; & then become comfortable that «politics» is a good formal name for it.
Once I have a formal-name, I can examine the phenomenon in social life to which it refers. Then all of us can refer to that phenomenon easily by name as we work out its properties, and relationships to other social and psychological phenomena. (I could also then offer a definition.)
Any confusion means insufficient discrimination.
Order of Frameworks
The sections present a flow of argument and exposition in the Satellite. Click each section for some highlights that indicate the contents.
Section 1: Necessary axioms and principles. Go.
- Getting a fix on what politics and government are about
- Linking politics with ethics
- Requirements for improving political institutions
- Modelling «ethical choice approaches» to create «political modes»
Section 2: The maturation of political institutions. Go.
- Using the ethical choiceTET as a framework
- Specifying the Stages of Growth via a Spiral trajectory
- Precipitants of discontinuous political development
- Where we have reached and where we have yet to go
Section 3: Determinants of political/societal choice. Go.
- Using the Spiral order to develop a Tree
- Desirable and undesirable political influences
- Handling public and private aspects of social life
- Applications: global politics, in organizations, and in family life
Section 4: Participating in political life. Go.
- Using the Tree to clarify political activities in a Structural Hierarchy.
- Management of social tensions via politics rather than violence
- Considering phenomena like: political work, mobilization, public policy, use of wealth, political will, sovereignty
- Applications to geopolitics, to organizations, and to a religious order
Section 5: Change and participation in society. Go.
- Using the Structural Hierarchy to develop a Tree
- Clarifying how public participation can lead to political solutions
- Reconciling the integrative and divisive tendencies of political activity
Section 6: Natural communities and political territories. Go.
- Tiers of territorial communities, each requiring political organization
- Reducing conflict by recognizing the logic underpinning subsidiarity
- Communal needs and provision of services
2014: Recent Developments
Research recently conducted in the Architecture Room in regard to Principal Typologies sheds light on this taxonomic inquiry. I conjecture that the Taxonomy is a product of evolution to meet certain Primal Needs.
By some coincidence or spontaneous awareness, I had referred here to «government as a primal need». Focusing on a complex society (or nation) where politics is mostly considered enabled an understanding. I could then demonstrate how the findings are applicable to other bodies and social groups e.g. in political choice and political participation.
However, in the research, it made more sense to use the more general term «governance» for the Primal Need because it applies to groups of every sort. Politics is then revealed as the Primal Means to ensure governance. (This highlighting was used to assist recognition during the investigation.)
From this perspective, some of these frameworks might be re-labeled. For example, the spiral of political maturation is more precisely a spiral of societal maturation. However, given that the maturity of a society is dependent on its politics, there appears no pressing reason to alter the name.
Originally posted: July 2009; Last updated: 25-Feb-2014