How to Think about Politics: A Guide in Five Parts

It can be easy to feel overwhelmed by politics. It is a huge subject, leaving its imprint on every aspect of the world and people’s lives. It is also the most fitful political situation that most people can remember. Norms are shattering, assumptions long taken for granted have been undermined, and events are moving so fast that it is hard to keep on top of it all. At a time when it feels that people really need to grasp what is going on, it is getting progressively harder to do so. But what if everyone already has the ability to make sense of politics? What if it is possible to look past the mess of names and opinion polls and statistics and instead focus on the fundamentals of politics that are rooted in everyone’s daily lives? Instead of trying to keep up, this book advises people to pause and step back. Think bigger. Think deeper. Rather than repeatedly getting caught in the swirl of day-to-day politics, what if it was possible to cultivate a set of tools and perspectives with which to interpret what is going on? By exploring five key political ideas—power, knowledge, presence, possibility, and the question of what we want—this book provides ways to think more systematically about politics, to better hold power to account, and to more clearly articulate hopes for the future.