Sometimes when I express a desire to avoid political discussion, people will chastise me by saying, “Everything is politics.” Basically the argument is that everything affecting the “polis,” the city, and its citizens is politics.

I get that and find it to be true at some level. But at its core, it’s a flawed argument. There is something called “politics” that is identifiable. When I choose the “Politics” tab on a news website, I don’t expect to see science news nor sports. I have a neighbor that teaches political science; that doesn’t mean that he teaches the science of everything. There is a specific realm of study within the social sciences that is political science.

The main definition that the Oxford dictionaries website offers is:

The activities associated with the governance of a country or other area, especially the debate or conflict among individuals or parties having or hoping to achieve power.

That seems like a definition that we can use. I want to spend a bit of time discussing politics. If you’re unsure what I’m going to be discussing, check this definition.