The strategic level of public order – an attempt at conceptualization
The strategic level of public order – an attempt at conceptualization

Summary/Abstract: RESEARCH OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the article is to analytically distinguish a specific level of public order, which is the strategic level. THE RESEARCH PROBLEM AND METHODS: The authors analyze narratives concerning Polish public space in three selected historical periods. They raise the question of the rationale for which some processes were valorized positively and others negatively. They explore the metanarrative dimension, reaching for examples from history and political philosophy. THE PROCESS OF ARGUMENTATION: The argument focuses on the subjective aspect of the problem, i.e., the human minds adopting as their own axioms, which should rather be regarded as mere fads or stereotypes. The ease with which agents of public life adopt an attitude of dependence and mimicry, vying more for status within current interpersonal and international configurations instead of forming their own identities, is highlighted. The authors argue for the need to distinguish a level of analysis that they refer to as strategic. They contrast their proposal with alternative formulas for explaining public order that are currently in use. RESEARCH RESULTS: Distinguishing a third level of analysis of public life, separate from the dichotomous division between the rulers and the ruled, provides an opportunity for a more complete exploration and understanding of political processes. CONCLUSIONS, INNOVATIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS: Attention to strategic awareness in political science analysis leads to further fundamental questions about: rationales for the adoption of axioms in political analysis, the effects of institutional and individual political choices on status and belonging, causality and decisiveness as opposed to determinism, fatalism and so-called impossibilism.

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