Final answer:
Politics can be defended as an ennobling activity by emphasizing its crucial role in determining a society's resource allocation and values. It reflects upon the collective will through the active participation of its citizens, and when they work together in the public interest, politics serves as a noble endeavor that ensures societal progress.
Step-by-step explanation:
To defend politics as a worthwhile and ennobling activity, one can highlight its role in societal development. Politics can be understood as the process that determines how resources are allocated and what policies will be adopted, thereby impacting every aspect of society from education and healthcare to national security and individual liberties. A society's political system reflects and enforces its core values, which can include personal freedoms, equality, and democracy.
Despite the reality of power dynamics and individual interests, it is the involvement of informed and engaged citizens that ensures the integrity of political processes and the alignment of policies with the public interest. In this way, when citizens collectively work towards the betterment of the entire society, politics takes on a noble aspect by empowering individuals to shape their communal life and by acting in service of the common good.
It is important to distinguish between different political cultures, such as the individualistic, which might tolerate corruption due to personal gains, versus a moralistic political culture, where engagement in politics is seen as a civic duty and the common good is the primary concern. By understanding these differences, one can more effectively argue for the positive role of politics in societal development and combat negative perceptions.