Tutorial 4: Are Dirty Hands Necessary in Politics?
Yes, "Political Action: The Problem of Dirty Hands"
By Michael Walzer
Kyle Zoon
Summary:
Why is
Dirty Hands so Popular?
• The decision to indulge
in "dirty hands" happens whenever someone is forced to choose between
upholding an important moral principle and avoiding some looming disaster.
• It is impossible to
govern innocently, innocent people govern. But this does not mean that it isn’t
possible to do the right thing while governing.
• If the politician
chooses to remain innocent he not only fails to do the right thing (in
utilitarian terms), he may also fail to measure up to the duties of his office.
• The notion of dirty
hands derives from an effort to refuse "absolutism" without denying
the reality of the moral dilemma.
• It is suggested that the
dilemma of dirty hands arises not merely as an occasional crisis in the career
of this or that unlucky politician but systematically and frequently.
• The politician is
different than other entrepreneurs for three reasons.
• He cannot serve us
without serving himself, for success brings him power and glory, the greatest
rewards that men can win from their fellows. The competition for these two is
fierce; the risks are often great, but the temptations are greater.
• The men who act for us
and in our name are often killers, or seem to become killers too quickly and
too easily.
The Teachings of
Machiavelli
• Good and decent people
still enter political life, however, they are required
to learn the lesson Machiavelli first set out to teach: "how not to be
good."
• These decent people will
not succeed unless they learn, for they have joined the terrible competition
for power and glory; they have chosen to work and struggle as Machiavelli say,
among "so many who are not good."
• They can do no good
themselves unless they win the struggle, which they are unlikely to do unless
they are willing and able to use the necessary means.
• How can it be wrong to
do what is right? Or, how can we get our hands dirty by doing what we ought to
do?
• His willingness to
acknowledge and bear (and perhaps to repent and do penance for) his guilt is
evidence, and it is the only evidence he can offer us, both that he is not too
good for politics and that he is good enough.
• It is easy to get one’s
hands dirty in politics and it is often right to do so.
Definitions
Symposium: A meeting or conference
for discussion of a topic, especially one in which the participants form an
audience and make presentations. (The place at which this author branched away
to form his thesis of "dirty hands".)
Dilemma: A situation that
requires a choice between options that are or seem equally unfavorable or
mutually exclusive. (The dilemma of the politician who is
forced to choose between acting immorally and furthering their cause or not
acting at all.)
Moral Principle: The principles of right
and wrong that are accepted by an individual or a social group. (The set of
principles that conclude that the act in question which is used to further a
political agenda, is indeed immoral, thus making it an
act of dirty hands politics.)
Absolutism: An absolute doctrine,
principle, or standard. No form of compromise. (If the politician decides to
follow the absolutist side, he does not use dirty hands politics.)
Dirty Hands: Having the conscience
that one has preformed immoral acts while in power. (Sometimes
a necessary to further a political agenda through "dirty" acts.
It should not be put into effect lightly, but as a means of a last option.)
Machiavelli: Italian political
theorist whose book The Prince (1513) describes the achievement and
maintenance of power by a determined ruler indifferent to moral considerations.
(The basic foundation for dirty hands politics.)
Necessary Means: According to
Machiavelli, the means one must pursue in order to attain the wanted outcome.
"The ends justify the means."
Support: To Provide for or
maintain backing for a politician by the countries electorate. (The feedback
that is received by the politician often affects the decision to resort to
dirty hands political measures.)
Scruples: An uneasy feeling
arising from conscience or principle that tends to hinder action. (The moral
conscience of the politician may restrict him from using "dirty
hands".)
Campaign: An operation or series
of operations energetically pursued to accomplish a purpose. (Because the
politician must win at all costs, "dirty hands" is often present in
such campaigns.)
Examples of Dirty Hands in Politics
-The FLQ Crisis in which
Prime Minister Trudeau enacted the War Measures Act, which took democratic
liberties away from Canadian civilians.
-In the wake of Sept.
11th, in order to boost appearances of cracking down on terrorism, Western
governments weakened their democratic liberties.
-Countries within the
United Nations are siding with
-The Decision to deny
support to Kosovo, while the United Nations and NATO knew of the ethnic
cleansing taking place.
-Would Hitler's attempt
to gain power in
-Perhaps putting
sanctions on
-Getting rid
of/Exterminating Saddam Hussein will yield a stable Iraqi democratic state.
-What about the Japanese
concentration camps, I'm sure in that day, that action would have been viewed
as a form of dirty hands.
Interactive Questioning
1.
Is there a place in politics for "dirty hands"?
2.
Should the politician be totally accountable to the electorate?
3.
Is Machiavelli’s philosophy, "the ends justify the
means" a moral one?
4.
When does the usage of "dirty hands" politics go to far?
5.
If the outcome is good then the means are waved, however, if the
outcome is bad, then how can we judge the politician who may of
embarked on the decision to use dirty hands?
6.
Can we stop and rid "dirty hands" from politics? Should
we?
7.
Does the fact that the public can only view certain situations in
a present way, give the politician the right to use dirty hands to achieve an
outcome that will suffice the bigger picture?
8.
If