conclusion

The alternative understanding of politics, associated with deep ecology and Kant, challenges the notion that politics is solely a social activity. Andrew Heywood's definition of politics as the making, preserving, and amending of general social rules is considered insufficient by deep ecologists. They argue that even Heywood's definition is not broad enough to encompass the situation of Crusoe on his island. This example is used to shed light on our understanding of politics in more conventional social situations. It suggests that politics is not limited to general social rules but includes general rules or policies, whether social or not. This perspective aligns politics with policy studies and views humans as policy-following beings. According to this view, the existence of a state, conflict, power, or collective decision-making is not necessary for politics. It even questions the idea that politics is necessarily a social activity. The defining characteristic of a political situation is the need for a policy. Crusoe's solitary isolation is considered a political situation because he engages in policy-making as a human being. If his policy-making activity relates to ethical issues, it aligns with Aristotle's understanding of politics.