In reply to KaWai:

Allegory of Vice and Virtue / The Choice of Hercules

But are politicians elected because of their ' human nature ' or their 'capacity ' to be ' virtuous ' ..... to make the right choices ...

DELIBERATE CHOICE

Although the virtues are habits of acting or dispositions to act in certain ways, Aristotle maintained that these habits are acquired by engaging in proper conduct on specific occasions and that doing so requires thinking about what one does in a specific way. Neither demonstrative knowledge of the sort employed in science nor aesthetic judgment of the sort applied in crafts are relevant to morality. The understanding {Gk. dianoia [diánoia]} can only explore the nature of origins of things, on Aristotle's view, and wisdom {Gk. sofia [sophía]} can only trace the demonstratable connections among them.

But there is a distinctive mode of thinking that does provide adequately for morality, according to Aristotle: practical intelligence or prudence {Gk. fronhsiV [phrónêsis]}. This faculty alone comprehends the true character of individual and community welfare and applies its results to the guidance of human action. Acting rightly, then, involves coordinating our desires with correct thoughts about the correct goals or ends.

This is the function of deliberative reasoning: to consider each of the many actions that are within one's power to perform, considering the extent to which each of them would contribute to the achievement of the appropriate goal or end, making a deliberate choice to act in the way that best fits that end, and then voluntarily engaging in the action itself. (Nic. Ethics III 3) Although virtue is different from intelligence, then, the acquisition of virtue relies heavily upon the exercise of that intelligence.

Ref>http://www.philosophypages.com/hy/2s.htm

In reply to Galileo's Universe:

I think, it's a two way street. It's the human nature of the people in general, what they are yearning for at a particular time, and what the aspiration of the politicians, how they communicate their aspiration, if people could relate to them. I think it's part emotional, part rational. And it's a give and take on both sides.

In reply to Galileo's Universe:

I think people want to see politicians being relatable, and they want the politicians to have the right moral compass for making sensible decisions, how someone is elected, based on lots of exterior factors too, for this US election for example. If the economy became really well now, John McCain might be more likely to win, since they are pretty close in ratings now. John McCain probably is a virtuous guy, but a virtuous guy might not be right for policy making, or to be inflexible on international affairs. It's important to be very intelligent, smart, know how to pick the right people for the positions, worldly, has a global view, open-minded enough to be able to sit down and talk with Putin, President Wu of China, Sarkozy, Chevez, sit down and negotiate with North Korea. I don't want a hard head who is virtuous but not flexible.

In reply to KaWai:

www.bcps.org/.../ 9famstudworldhunger/index.htm

Uhmmm ??? .... " NEGOTIATE " with North Korea ! it sounds as if it has never being done or at least tried many times before ( ever heard of ' still diplomacy ? ) by given them such things as money incentives to name one example , etc ... but while taking with one hand eagerly at the same time laughing at the giver with the other hand ! ... I mean " are you really so incredible naïve as to think that North Korea gives a toss about what anybody thinks or wants from them ? " ... except that is ... wanting to perpetuate their twisted, cruel and inhumane regime ! ... they won't even allow aid for the desperately hungry while expending lavishly on monuments to their own hollow GLORY ! Not even CHINA with its might seemed to had been able to do much , read CHANGE in the North Korean hostile attitude while sitting with them to " NEGOTIATE " ...

In reply to Galileo's Universe:

Why the US needs a new strategy with North Korea instead of continuing isolating it, because China is doing that, and South Korea is doing that, they are beginning to break down some of the dead locks, small companies are actually doing businesses with border cities in North Koreans. I am tired of the US propaganda of showing the one side of Korea. I watched a special by CNN by Christian Amanpour, and I was surprised to see so much of the propaganda used, the images are what people in America were expected to see, of what they think how North Koreans are. When Asian nations are working together to get North Korea to start opening up, through negotiation, through diplomatic means. I watched a new clip from Hong Kong recently, and it's about small businesses trading with North Korean border town businesses. It's from a very different point of view, but you might doubt its' independence since you think HK news working for China, but they don't, they are independent. I am sick if Bush's talks of axis of evil. Bush's talks of that kind of propaganda is what has led to recent years of the US becoming more alienated by its' allies, and its disasterious foreign policies, deadlocks with Iran, out of control spending of the war in Iraq.

In reply to KaWai:

Did you take the time to read the previous post ? .... that may shed some light about how it really works in politics ... I can't really understand what the Pope has to do with the subject ? ... a bit out of total context such comment ...

In reply to KaWai:

" What you posted was the theory of a perfect situation in politics, but that's not how it works in reality "

Exactly that's my point ... and not even the good, ' wise ' OBAMA is going to change anything for the better when reading his endless, repetitive and well known rhetoric about change ... as in CHANGE ... in spite of that great enthusiasm for his charismatic speeches to impress " the good, the bad and the ugly "..... they , read politicians , are all , ironically , equals when it comes to using the power given to then by their ' believers ' ..... the question is which one is the less evil ... as in .... truly ' sincere ' with enough baggage to be entrusted such a huge responsibility !

Communication skills are great when needed but ..... ' sound ' skills as in showing competence and efficiency are far ... far better ! ...... but of course I'm being an idealist ! ...:):) .... In the end they'll try anything in order to get to that ' comfortable ' throne ... the ultimate prize !

By the way ... If you read George Bush's life ... is not very difficult to realise that being ' virtuous ' was not at the top of the list of his priorities in life ... MONEY , elected him in my opinion... and plenty of it .... that is the difference , I believe, between being smart and ... SMART ! ... who of the two can manage to get the biggest bulk for their election campaign to pay those wonderful spin doctors ... that is when it all seems to become a question of simple mathematics...

In reply to Galileo's Universe:

Sarah Palin is on many US magazines covers now. Her sudden rise is scary and it's no victory to women, I think her views are anti women-enti women's rights to choose what to do with their bodies, enti sex education in public schools, enti ideas(she banned books in public library in Alaska). She mentioned no words in her acceptance speech on affordable healthcare for women, for children, which to me is the number one factor that is compromising and crippling the US' economy, the extravagance cost of health care for anverage people, from employers to the unemployed.