Nature and Scope of Political Science.pdf

It's about nature of political science

1. Nature and Scope of Political Science
Prepared by:
Dr Vinita Priyedarshi
Assistant Professor
Department of Political Science
Patna Women’s College

2. Objectiveofthisunit:
Inthisunit,weshalldiscussthemeaningof
PoliticalScienceandpolitics.Atthesame
time,weshallalsodiscussthenatureand
scopeofPoliticalScience.

3. Suggested Readings
Bhargava,RajeevandAshokAcharya:PoliticalTheory,AnIntroduction,Pearsons
Education,2008.
Heywood,Andrew,PoliticalTheory,(3rdEd.),PalgraveMacmillan,2005
HeldDavid,ModelsofDemocracy,StanfordUniversityPress,2006.
OPGauba,AnIntroductiontoPoliticalTheory,Macmillan,1981.
MPJain,PoliticalTheory:LiberalandMarxian,AuthorsGuild,1985
AmalRayandMohitBhattacharya,PoliticalTheory:IdeasandInstitutions,The
WorldPress,1983
Kapur,A.C.PrinciplesofPoliticalScience,S.Chand&CompanyLtd.,NewDelhi,2006
Agarwal,R.C.:PoliticalTheory-PrinciplesofPoliticalScience,S.Chand&Company
Ltd.,NewDelhi,2007

4. Meaning of Political Science
PoliticalSciencecomprisesoftwowords‘political’and
‘science’.
Theterm‘politics’isderivedfromtheGreekword‘polis’
whichmeansthe‘city-state’(ageneralisedformofpolitical
organizationexistinginancientGreece).
Scienceisthesystematicstudyofthestructureandbehaviour
ofthephysicalandnaturalworldthroughobservation,evidence
andexperiment.
Sopoliticalscienceisthebranchofknowledgethatdealswith
systematicstudyofthestructureandbehaviourofthestateand
politicalinstitutionsthroughscientificanalysis.

5. Meaning of Political Science (Cont….)
ThegreatGreekphilosopherAristotlewasthefirst
tousetheterm‘politics’andisthereforeregardedas
the‘fatherofPoliticalScience’.Inhisfamousbook,
"Politics",Aristotlehasasserted:"Manisbynaturea
politicalanimalandhe,whobynatureandnotby
mereaccidentiswithoutstate,iseitherabove
humanityorbelowit”.

6. Definition of Political Science
Traditional definition: These early definitions of political
science dealt generally with state and government.
PaulJanet,“PoliticalScienceisthatpartofsocial
sciencewhichtreatsthefoundationsoftheStateand
theprinciplesofgovernment.”(Kapur,A.C.Principlesof
PoliticalScience,S.Chand&CompanyLtd.,NewDelhi,2006,p.17)
Dr.Garner,“PoliticalSciencebeginsandendswiththe
state”(Agarwal,R.C.:PoliticalTheory-PrinciplesofPoliticalScience,S.
Chand&CompanyLtd.,NewDelhi,2007,p.3
(cont…)

7. SirJohnSeeley,“PoliticalScienceinvestigatesthe
phenomenaofGovernmentasPoliticalEconomydealswith
Wealth,Biologywithlife,Algebrawithnumbersand
Geometrywithspaceandmagnitude”(Agarwal,R.C.:PoliticalTheory-
PrinciplesofPoliticalScience,S.Chand&CompanyLtd.,NewDelhi,2007,p.3).
StephenLeacock,“PoliticalSciencedealswiththe
Government”(Agarwal,R.C.:PoliticalTheory-PrinciplesofPoliticalScience,S.Chand&
CompanyLtd.,NewDelhi,2007,p.3).

8. Modern definition: In the beginning of the 20
th
century there developed a new
way of looking at political science. This new approach is known as behavioural
approach. The main thrust of the new view is the treatment of politics as an activity
and a process.
HaroldLaswell:“Politicsisthestudyofinfluenceandtheinfluential”
or“thestudyoftheshapingandsharingofpower”
DavidEaston:“Politicsistheauthoritativeallocationofvalues.”
Catlin:“PoliticalScienceisthestudyoftheactofhumanandsocial
control”.
AndrewHeywood:“Politicscanbedefinedasanactivitythrough
whichpeoplemake,preserveandamendthegeneralrulesunderwhich
theylive.”
(Source:Agarwal,R.C.:PoliticalTheory-PrinciplesofPoliticalScience,S.Chand&
CompanyLtd.,NewDelhi,2007)

9. Difference between politics and Political Science
Modernwritersmakeadistinctionbetween“politics“and“political
Science”
FredericPollock,forthefirsttime,brokeupthesubjectintotwoparts:
Theoreticalpoliticsand
Practicalorappliedpolitics

10. Difference between theoretical politics and applied politics
ThefirstportioncoverstheoryoftheStateandGovernment,theoryof
legislationandtheoryoftheStateasanartificialperson.Thesubjects
underthefirstcategorydealwiththefeaturesoftheStateandthebasic
principlesofgovernmentanddonotstudyactualworkingofany
particulargovernment.
ThesecondpartcoversthestudyoftheStateandactualformsof
government.Workingofgovernmentandadministration.Politicalaction
andelection.ThosewhotakepartintheactualactivitiesoftheStateare
knownaspoliticians.Theyformpoliticalparties.contestintheelections
andrunthegovernmentandconducttheadministrationoftheState.Itis
knownasappliedorpracticalpolity,whichdealswiththeactualworking
ofgovernment.

11. Difference between theoretical politics and applied politics
Theoretical Politics Applied Politics

12. Nature of Political Science
PoliticalScienceisapartofsocialsciencesand
thereforeisdifferentfromthatofphysicalsciences
likephysicsandchemistry.
Sothequestionwhichconcernsthenatureofthe
subjectiswhetherPoliticalScienceisaScienceoran
Artandhowthenatureofthedisciplinehas
undergonechangesinthe20thcentury.

13. Political Science: An Art
Scienceisuniversalandasystematicbodyof
knowledge,basedonaccurateandimpartialfacts,
throughwhichobservation,comparisonand
experimentationcanbemade.
Apparently,PoliticalSciencedoesnothavesome
ofthesefeatures.AndthereforeEarnestBarker
(Britishpoliticalthinker),JamesBryce(British
politicalthinker),CharlesA.Beard(Britishhistorian)
andotherswerereluctanttoacceptPoliticalScience
asascience.

14. Political Science: An Art (Cont…..)
ThefollowingaresomeargumentsagainstthenotionofPolitical
ScienceasaScience:-
Lackofpreciseandstandarddefinitionsoftermsandconcepts.
Complexityofpoliticalphenomenaduetovariationinthenature
andhabitsofpeople.
Diversityof‘environments’inwhichpoliticaldevelopmentstake
place.
Problemsofexperimentationtoarriveatvalidconclusions.

15. Political Science: A Science
AmericanpoliticalthinkerslikeDavidEaston
triedtoestablishascientificbasisofPolitical
Science.
AristotlecalleditaMasterSciencethrough
whichcivilisationcouldbesaved.

16. Political Science: A Science (cont….)
Thefollowingaresomeargumentsinfavourofthenotionof
PoliticalScienceasaScience:
Recently,politicaltheoryhasdevelopedbasedon
factsandverifiabledata,e.g.,votingbehaviourand
theoriesofelection.
Politicalexperimentsarenotcompletelyruledout.
Thegovernmentitselfisacontinuousexperiment.

17. Political Science: A Science (cont….)
Itispossibletomakepredictionsonthebasisofsocial
experimentationsto a certainextent.
BroadconclusionscanbedrawninPoliticalScience
suchas–anindependentandimpartialjudiciaryandafree
pressareessentialfordemocracy
Empiricalstudiesarebasedoncarefulobservationand
classification.PoliticalScienceputsahypothesisoran
assumptiontoempiricalverification.Theoriesarenot
builtonspeculation.PoliticalScientiststodayemploy
surveymethods,graphs,chartsandotherscientifictools
toarriveattheirresearchconclusions.

18. PoliticalScienceisthusascience,thoughnotlikethephysical
sciences.
Itisasocialscience.
Americanpoliticalscientist,RobertDahlstatesthatPoliticalscienceis
bothaScienceandanArt.
Artreferstopracticalapplicationofknowledge.PoliticalScience
appliestheknowledgeaboutpoliticaleventsforcreatingagoodsocial
andpoliticalorder.Henceitisanart.
WheneverstudentsofPoliticalSciencetesttheirtheoriesagainstthe
dataofexperiencebyobservation,thepoliticalanalysiscanbe
regardedasscientific.
Whenthispoliticalanalysisisappliedfortheworkingofpolitical
institutionsitbecomesanart.

19. Changing dynamics of the meaning and
nature of Political Science
AftertheWorldWarII,themeaningandnatureofpolitical
sciencehaveundergoneaseachange.
Nowpoliticalscienceiscloselyrelatedtoallaspectsof
socialrelations,ratherthananactivitycentredonthe
institutionsofgovernment.
Sotheaimsandobjectivesofpoliticalsciencehavechanged
duetofactorssuchastheriseofthepowertheoryand
behaviouralism.

20. New understanding of Political Science
PoliticalSciencehasceasedtobemerelythescienceofstate-craft.
PoliticalScienceisconcernedwithallfacetsofpowerrelationsand
humanbehaviourhavingpoliticalimplicationsinthesociety.
Politicsisportrayedasaprocessofconflictresolution,inwhich
rivalviewsorcompetinginterestsarereconciledforthebenefitof
all.ThenewmeaningofPoliticalScienceincludesthedynamics
ofpowerandstruggleatvariouslevels—local,regional,national
and international.
SotheaimsandobjectivesofPoliticalSciencehavechangeddueto
factorssuchastheriseofthepowertheoryandbehaviouralism.

21. Scope of Political Science
Politicalscienceasadisciplinedealswithvariousaspectslike:
Studyofstateandgovernment-itdealswiththenatureandformation
oftheStateandtriestounderstandvariousformsandfunctionsofthe
government.
Studyofassociationsandinstitutions-inorganizedwaythe
fundamentalproblemsofpoliticalscienceinclude,first,aninvestigation
oftheoriginandthenatureofthestate,secondaninquiryintothenature,
historyandformsofpoliticalinstitutionsandthird,deduction,therefore,
sofaraspossible,oflawsofpoliticalgrowthanddevelopment.

22. Scope of Political Science (Cont…)
Studyofnationalandinternationalproblems-modern
demandsofdefenseofterritory,representativegovernment
andnationalunityhavemadepoliticalsciencenotonlythe
scienceofpoliticalindependencebutthatofstatesovereignty
also.
Studyofpoliticalbehaviorofman-itmaybesaidthatthe
characterofpoliticalscienceinallitspartsisdeterminedbyits
basicpre-suppositionregardingman.

23. Scope of Political Science (Cont…)
Studyofthepast,presentandfutureofdevelopment-politicalscience
attemptstoexplainthemeaningandtheessentialnatureofthestateand
dealswiththelawsofitsprogressanddevelopmentwithinitselfandin
relationtointernationalorganizationsandotherstates.
Studyoftheconceptsofpower,authority&influence-withthe
behaviouralrevolutionthecentraltopicforstudyhasbecomethestudy
ofpower.Consequentlythescopehaswidenedtoincludenewaspects
likepoliticalsocialization,politicalculture,politicaldevelopmentand
informalstructureslikeinterestandpressuregroups.

24. Conclusion
Inthecontemporarytime,themeaningofPolitical
Sciencehasbecomemoreandmoreinclusive.
Earlierpoliticalsciencehadbeendefinedbymany
scholarsfromthepointofviewoftheStateand
Government.
Butnowthetermpoliticalsystembringsthestudyof
politicalscienceclosertoothersystemssuchasthe
economicsystem,theculturalsystem,thelegalsystem
andothersocialsystemsallofwhichoperatewithinthe
largersocialenvironment.

25. Conclusion
RegardingthenatureofPoliticalSciencethereisadifferenceof
opinionamongscholarswhetherpoliticalscienceisascienceoran
art.
Politicalscientistshaveputforwardsomeargumentsinfavourof
thenotionthatpoliticalscienceisascience,suchas–
politicaltheoryhasdevelopedbasedonfactsandverifiabledata,
like,votingbehaviourandtheoriesofelection;
inpoliticalsciencethereismuchscopeforexperiments,for
examplethegovernmentitselfisacontinuousprocessof
experiment;
broadconclusionscanbedrawninpoliticalscience;
empiricalstudiesarebasedoncarefulobservationand
classification.
Politicalscientiststodayemploysurveymethods,graphs,charts
andotherscientifictoolstoarriveattheirresearchconclusions.

26. Conclusion
Atthesametimeanothersectionofpoliticalscientistsopine
thatpoliticalscienceisanartandtheyputforwardsome
argumentinfavourofthisnotion,suchas–
lackofpreciseandstandarddefinitionsoftermsand
concepts;
complexityofpoliticalphenomenaduetovariationinthe
natureandhabitsofpeople;
diversityof‘environments’inwhichpoliticaldevelopments
takeplace;
problemsofexperimentationtoarriveatvalidconclusions.

27. Conclusion
Withthepassageoftime,thescopeofpolitical
sciencealsokeepsonchanging.
Inrecenttimes,politicalsciencehasceasedtobe
merelythescienceofstate-craft.
Nowpoliticalsciencecoversacomprehensivefield
andithasbecomedynamicincharacter.
Politicalsciencedealswitheachandeveryaspectof
thestateandgovernmentinrelationtotheirpastand
presentandalsofocusesupontheprobable
developmentsinthefuture.
Nowadays,factorslikethedevelopmentsinthearena
ofhumanrightsandhumandevelopmentandnewsocial
movementsandupsurgesincivilsocietyhavealso
widenedthescopeofpoliticalscience.