Thinking Challenge Submission by James Hurley

It would appear to the modern day thinker that truth and politics are in some way opposed to each other, or at the very least have some inherent tension. I trace the genesis of this thought not to the Orwellian states that existed (and largely continue to exist) in the mid to late 20^th Century, or even to the Machiavellian concept of the nation, but rather to the fall of Rome and the collapse of the feudal system.  The most pressing issues that we must address are those that are “here and now”, a notion Hannah Arendt calls us, with much alarm to address. Politics, for most of the world today defines our lives; it affects our taxes, affects our laws, and limits certain liberties and freedoms that we might otherwise enjoy.

To be a model thinker, as Socrates was for Arendt, today means exactly the same as it did over 2000 years ago. The figure of Socrates stands in direct opposition to the figure of Adolf Eichmann. Eichmann was problematic for so many individuals not for his actions, no matter how egregious they were, but for his or her ability to relate with him, and to see himself or herself in his place. Eichmann is therefore a tool that Arendt used in order to express the thoughtlessness of the world as she viewed it. Jerusalem was, for her, a wakeup call, to view the world, and think about what we are doing, as workers, laborers, and as men of action. In our capacity for action, and our interactions with each other, we participate in the vita activa as Arendt defines it. We step out of the private realm that had been constructed by the Greeks and move into the public realm and participate in politics. But what obligations, if any do we have in this participation. I have included two works of art, one quite famous, below for contemplation as we begin this discussion on politics and telling the truth.

Lies have become a tool of the politician in modern times. As Rodin challenges us above we need to stop and think. For it is precisely in our action of stopping that we are able to give import and acknowledgement to the activity of thinking. As individuals, have been conditioned to believe what is said. For example, the “change” campaign that President Obama pushed during his original presidential campaign promised a serious shift in institutional priorities. Three years in, there has been limited change, and Obama has not produced on the promises he made, specifically in terms of American Foreign Policy and gay rights. We look to other countries, and see the same type of frustration with the recent allegations of fraud and embezzlement by some elected members of Parliament in the United Kingdom. They have used their political clout not as a tool to advance the voice of those they serve, but rather to serve their own interests. Society has been fooled into thinking that today’s politicians keep our best interests in mind. In reality, we see the judicial branch as the one with the most sincere ability to think. This is, of course partly due to the fact that judges have tenure and are not constantly on the reelection campaign, but this too should also call into question our notion a “politician” is somehow a career choice, when in reality we are all called to be politicians. In ancient Athens or Rome, such an occupation as a “politician” would be laughed at, for it was the full participation of all men in the marketplace or the Agora that defined politics.

The “thinking” that politicians suggest we, as individuals are doing today amounts to little more than acting, and, if they have their way, leads to a robotic following. The dignity of truth calls us to political action beyond this stage however. The dignity of truth demands our full participation in the public realm as citizens of the world. And, tangentially, the dignity of politics, too, requires a participatory populous prepared and ready for discourse. The Athenian model is, for Arendt, and for us, the ultimate form of truth and politics. Furthermore, the figure of Socrates as a man equally at home in the marketplace as well as the academy presents a man who is participatory and engaged, rather than removed in a Congressional building or a lofty ivory tower. Socrates is who we, as politicians, as we all are, should aim to be.

Truth and politics should participate together as a cohesive whole in the public realm if our society wishes to function appropriately? We need to call attention to the lies that we have been told in politics and demand that truth, discernible to those that think, is was should guide our politicians, and that we, as men, are all politicians in our own rite. We need to, quite simple, think what we are doing and act in such a way that our actions, by way of our thoughts are directed and concentrated and creating a society in which we want to both live and participate in the plurality of men. Like “thinker” we need to stop and think.

Connecting the points together we see that politics is in a very bad way. The way politics function as a game, as a career, and as a tool is not the way politics should aim to function as a system. In order for the political system to function correctly all members must participate fully and use their human capacity for reason and thought to challenge each other, and propel each other forward. The works of art above help to illustrate this, but on a more modern day level we can see the theme in the work of The Killers. “Are we human or are we dancers? / My sign is vital, my hands are cold / And I’m on my knees looking for the answer / Are we human or are we dancers?” A clear challenge to ourselves to discern if we are human in our capacity to think and act or if we are simply some sort of “dancers” that is subject to direction an choreography, with an inhibited sense of movement, and a loss of autonomy. We are human, and as such, we are indeed thinkers. Let us use our capacity to think to challenge the way politics is, and to bring about real reform.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIZdjT1472Y&ob=av2e

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