Dr. Jekyll and Henry Hyde: The "Chemistry" of Being Political.

In order to understand the political talk of a given collectivity one must comprehend:

1. The institutional structure of that collectivity.
2. The forces that shape and regulate the interests of individuals within the collectivity.
3. The mechanisms through which conflicts of interest are ameliorated.

The most facile grammar with which to discuss the chemistry of politics (and probably the most accurate, though that is not a philosophical issue that needs to be broached at present) is that of economics.

Despite the implications of Ayn Rand and other strict determinists, Economics is a human invention; it is not a law of nature. Economies arise from circumstances of need. As stated previously, an individual needs to enhance his or her interests . . . which almost inevitably results in cooperative action . . .which at any relevant level of complexity (combinations larger than small groups) inevitably results in divisions of labor and the necessity for some form of contract (since the agreement by which we cooperate in the enhancement of one another's interests will have to be enforced). The physical and emotional proximity of the bearers of these contracts results in a community--which creates communal artifacts (e.g. narrations--history, art and religion--communal identity and role-development). The collection of individual contracts will be contextualized into a broad form generally called a compact--a social contract in which individuals "voluntarily" agree to limit their natural freedoms in exchange for the benefits of communal living.

When communities become sufficiently developed and complex (which doesn't take long. See Hobbes, Leviathan ), they evolve societies--more rigid structures of social organizations, cognizant of but not dependent on the individuals who comprise the community. Societies also generate artifacts (e.g. extra-personal abstractions--justice as opposed to fairness, systems of authority, role-instantiations--memberships, initiations, elites) all of which comprise what comes to be known as the public domain).

To simplify:

Community = Collectivity of Need.

Society = Collectivity of Authority.

From this discussion we can assemble our "periodic table" of political elements:

On the left side, we have "fields" of action (note that the term "society" has been replaced by the less all-inclusive term "institution." To better comprehend why, think of institution as a verb instead of as a noun.). On the right, we have means of creating political artifacts within the contexts of those stations. The ratios of field : means provide examples of political action .

Institution : Amelioration Tort Law.

Authority : Economy Import Tariffs.

Community : Narration George Washington and the Cherry Tree.