POLITICAL MAN

by Robert Alan Dahl (1915 - 2014)

Robert Alan Dahl was a ​Sterling Professor Emeritus of Political Science at ​Yale
University​, which is the highest academic rank at that University. He was one of the most
distinguished contemporary American political scientists​.

1 An elementary ​starting point ​for all political theory is the fact that members of the
human species live together. ​Human beings do not live in complete isolation. ​Yet,
though man is a social animal, he is not a political animal, at least not in the same
sense. Even though he lives in a society, he does not necessarily concern himself with
5 the politics of that society or participates actively in the political life. Some people do,
but many do not.

However, simply because human beings are social they also develop political systems.
Evidently they cannot live together ​without entering ​into relationships ​of influence;
10 whenever these relationships become stable and repetitive, political systems exist.

In this sense, then, ​one might say ​that man is a political animal. He is inevitably
immersed in political systems.

15 But individuals are not equally interested in political life. There are some people who
are indifferent to politics; others who are more deeply involved in it. Among those
who are heavily involved, only some actively seek power. And among those who seek
power, some obtain more power than the rest. Thus, ​individuals could be classified
into four groups​, ​according to their degree of interest/involvement in political life: the
20 apolitical stratum, the political stratum, the power seekers, and the powerful, ​four
groups that will be studied in the following chapter.

OBJETIVOS DE LECTO-COMPRENSIÓN:

● La forma –ing.
● Tiempos verbales: ​Present Simple​; ​Future Simple.
● Voz Pasiva.
● Verbos modales: ​could;​ ​might​.
● Conectores: ​yet​; ​thus​; ​among;​ ​then​;​ but​.
 ACTIVIDADES DE LECTO-COMPRENSIÓN:

I​: Responder las siguientes preguntas:

01).- ¿En qué sentido puede afirmarse que el hombre no es un animal político?
02).- ¿En qué sentido puede afirmarse que sí lo es?
03).- ¿Cómo pueden agruparse los individuos según su actitud respecto de la política?
04).- ¿Qué significa ​yet,​ qué relación establece y entre qué ideas? ​(Renglón 2)
05).- ¿Qué significa ​however​, qué relación establece y entre qué ideas? ​(Renglón 7)

II:​ Traducir las partes subrayadas según el contexto en que aparecen en el texto.

01).- starting point

02).- Human beings
03).- without entering
04).- one might say
05).- individuals could be classified
06).- groups that will be studied in the following chapter