Political Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Political Ethics - Essay ExampleElders, usually male and heads of households, have religious authority, as well as powers to decide on aspects of community life. In the case of chiefs and regional or national leaders, there is a mixing of political, religious and clean authority which makes them really powerful indeed, and able to influence the life of those underneath them for good or for evil.Culture, laws and history are traditionally preserved through unwritten means, which entails a lot of reciting of material, and listening, as well as ritual performances of various kinds which serve to remind those present of essential underlying principles which are used to convey judgement on particular cases. Another major difference between Western and African ways is that societal groups in Africa are usually very much smaller scale, so people actually know those who are leaders, and have some sort of relationship through kinship with them. Hereditary sociable structures create bonds which last over generations, and ensure a certain stability in society. Ancestor worship is an extension of the strong ties that exists within and between clans and tribes in the present time. The whole governance is hierarchical, with each layer courting the approval of the one above, from the king or chief at the top right put down to the family unit where the child is subordinate to the father.The main values of African societies are good company, dignity, display, decency and wisdom, (Magesa, 1997, p. 258) and these are embodied in the leaders in a system that the author calls relative gerontocracy (Magesa, 1997, p. 265) Conflict resolution is done in a consultative way, with several people sitting in judgement, and an audience listening to complaints and defences. By making the preserving of human life the main point of moral behavior, Magesa argues that African