What Does “the Political” Mean?

The political is the main theme and category of political science.Since ancient Greece,political theorists have focused on the political based on the dialogue dimens ions and antagonism dimensions.Chantal Mouffe critically inherited and developed th e antagonism political view and the dialogue political view,reflected on the political from the dimension of agonism,and reinterpreted “The political realm”,“The politica l subject” and “Model of democratic politics”,providing a new perspective for us to understand the political.On the political realm,Mouffe deeply analyzed and criticized the contemporary mainstream dialogue political model from the perspective of experience and ontology,and pointed out the illusory and dangerous nature of the political concept of dialogu e.She draws on Marxian class theory and Carl Schmitt's Political Theory of Dictator ship,and returns “antagonism” to the concept of politics.At the same time,she limit ed the antagonism of politics within the framework of the community and envisioned the political realm as the space for agonism.On the political subject,Mouffe analyz ed the new social movement,criticized the essentialist subjective view,and pointed o ut the irrational qualities and collective identity characteristics of political action.She draws on discourse theory and believes that the political subject is the result of the articulation of political discourse and subordination,which makes the political subject have the equality of agonism.Based on the thinking of the political realm and the p olitical subject,Mouffe constructed a agonistic theory that return to antagonism dime nsions,advocating multiple values,and oriented equality.The core issue of Mouffe's ideal political practice is how to return to political a ntagonism without destroying political union.She expounded politics as an eternal state of agonism,trying to strike a balance between “dialogue” and “antagonism”.But i t is undeniable that the real scene of politics is in the economy,and only based on social and economic relations can we truly grasp the nature of politics.Due to the l ack of in-depth analysis of capitalism,the agonistic theory is doomed to be completely radical.