Chapter 1:
Introduction to “Political Science”
Plan
1.
Object and subject of
political science.
2.
Structure of
political science.
3.
Methods and
functions.
Everyone knows something about politics, and many
people know a great deal about it. It is an interesting, amusing, and moving
spectacle that ranks not too far behind professional sports in the eyes of many
people. Political scientists, however, study politics and analyze it. This
involves doing pretty much the same sorts of things that other people do who
follow politics: we read the newspapers and listen to press conferences, take
part in political campaigns, and so on. But we also do some things differently.
We usually try to see both sides of any question and to keep our emotions in
low key, because emotions can cloud judgment. We borrow deliberately from other
disciplines – such as economics, history, sociology psychology, and philosophy
– to help us understand what is going on politically.
A man is a human being. This
is the idea of Greek philosopher Aristotle. From ancient times every man was a
participant of political relations as a citizen of a state, defender of
motherland or a conqueror.
Politics has an affect on all people interests. All
of us take part in elections, protest actions, support manifestations etc.
Studying of political science helps young men self –determinate in political
life and understands policy of states, leaders, parties and movements, mass
media and communications. Politics and
political science is not the same.
Political science is an academic field that takes as
its sole and general task the analysis of politics, especially the policy of a
state.
What do political scientists study? Over recent
years we have seen work in which political scientists: measured just how much
it actually costs a country to lose a war; devised a new system of voting in
primaries that might have led to a different set of candidates for most
presidential elections; analyzed and explained the various styles that members
of parliaments adopt in dealing with their constituents; studied the spread of
welfare reforms across the states; showed that the roots of successful
government may go back to social institutions several centuries ago; showed why
most nations will ignore warnings about surprise military action by hostile
nations; studied why democracies almost never wage war on other democracies.
These are the sorts of things political scientists do.
Political science is one of the youngest humanities.
It has been taken shape as an independent branch of science only by the end of
40s in the XXth century.
Any science has to go through some definite periods:
accumulation of theoretical and empirical material; elaboration and publication
of special scientific investigations; creation of
special current editions; training specialists, creation of scientific and
educational institutions; forming scientific societies of this subject teachers which unite into national and
international associations. Political science has gone through all these
periods.
History of political thought shows that political
science like other humanities was born on philosophic basis. For many centuries
political ideas have been developed only on philosophic base. Political
investigations of ancient thinkers Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, Thomas Aquinas and
others did not create political science because they were closely connected and
greatly depended on cosmological, theoretical, ethic and aesthetic ideas.
The total political science
was formed in the Middle Ages in XVI century. It doesn’t mean that different
political knowledge were absent before. No, there were many political
tendencies, which were elaborated by ancient philosophers. There weren’t an
independent political science. But then requirement in it had been raised. Why?
It’s for two main reasons: practical politics administration and theoretical
evolution of political thought.
The politics like science is directly related to the
politics and this relation enables some scientists to define its subject:
political science is the science about politics. Is it enough? Can this
definition reveal true meaning and complexity of the subject studied? Perhaps,
not, because both of these terms ‘political science’ and ‘politics’ – have the
same roots.’ Polis’ means city-state,
place in which free citizen were living. Every city was a small independent
state. It had its own structure and administration. The governmental functions
of state boards had been separated gradually from people’s activities.
Aristotle and Plato operated by new word ‘politics’
in connection with the state administration, state life, structure of state.
The main book was a treatise ‘Politics’ written by
Aristotle in it forms of governing, kinds of state, methods of political
control were analyzed.
The political knowledge arose in ancient China and India more than two and a half
thousand years ago. It emerged in Europe
later, at the beginning of antique times, but the political knowledge had the
more developing forms there in compare with the East.
Political science consists of: political theory,
political anthropology, political geography, and theory of the international
relations, political psychology, and political history.
Methods and functions of political science:
1) historical method – it’s study of political
events at the genesis and evolution in the connection with past; 2)
systematic method;
3) comparative method; 4) content–analyze (it is
studying of Constitutions, legislation, party programs, instructions, political
leader’s reports, etc.); 5) observation – it’s systematic perception and
registration political facts; 6) interrogatory – it’s oral or written
addressing investigator to some people with a questions.
Functions of political science: cognitive function –
political science ensure adhere to knowledge in various spheres of political
life; rationalization of social life; forecast function – gives short forecast
about the development of the political situation, perspectives and
possibilities of political leaders, parties etc.
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