Political science
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Political Science is the systematic study of the allocation and transfer of power in decision making. Amongst the disciplines, political science is charged with studying the provinces of public affairs and institutions. It is usually divided into the fields of Comparative Politics, International Politics, Political Philosophy, National Politics (including the politics of major government institutions, electoral politics, and regional and local politics) and Methodology.
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History of political science
While the study of politics is first found in the western tradition in Ancient Greece, political science is a late arrival in terms of social sciences. However, political science has a clear set of antecedents such as Moral Philosophy, Political Philosophy, Political Economy, and History, amongst others. With the expansion of the scientific paradigm after the Age of Enlightenment, political science started to separate from these topics and began to be an independent subject of enquiry or a discipline. The advent of political science as a university discipline is evidenced by the naming of university departments and chairs with the title of political science arising in the 1860's. Integrating political studies of the past into a unified discipline is an ongoing project, and the history of political science has provided a rich field for the growth of both normative and positive political science, with each part of the discipline sharing some historical predecessors.
In each historic period and in almost every geographic area, we can find someone studying politics and increasing political understanding. Throughout most of the history of political science, its history is similar to other social sciences and humanities, though clearly its history can be focused more narrowly on political works. In Ancient Greece, Homer, Hesiod, Thucydides, Plato, Aristotle, Xenophon, Euripides and others, all contribute to our political understanding, though Plato first analyses political systems and abstracts their analysis from more literary and history oriented studies and applied an approach we would understand as closer to philosophy. Similarly, Aristotle builds upon this analysis and includes both historical empirical evidence in his analysis.
During the rule of Rome and the subsequent Middle Ages, the study of politics was widespread in the churches and courts. Famous historians such as Polybius, Livy and Plutarch documented the rise of the Roman Republic, and the organization and histories of other nations, while statesman like Julius Caesar, Cicero and others provide us examples of the politics of the republic and Rome's empire and wars. The study of politics during this age seems to be primarily oriented toward understanding history, understanding methods of governing, and describing the operation of governments. The rise of monotheism and particularly for the western tradition, Christianity, brought to light a new space for politics and political action. Works such as Augustine's City of God synthesized current philosophies and political traditions with those of Christianity, redefining our understandings of what is religious and what is political in light of questions in classical political philosophy. Most of the political questions surrounding the relationship between church and state are clarified and contested in this period, and many of those questions are unresolved today.
With the Fall of the Roman Empire, there arose a more diffuse arena for political studies.
During this period, learning flourished in the Middle East and later other Islamic areas, with works such as the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam and Epic of Kings by Ferdowsi providing evidence of political analysis, while the Islamic aristotelians such as Avicenna and later Maimonides and Averroes, continued Aristotle's tradition of analysis and empiricism, writing commentaries on the philosopher's works.
See also: Italian Renaissance, Enlightenment in Europe
Practice of Political Science
Political Science is necessarily broad. Practitioners of the discipline can be engaged in activities that seem to have little to do with each other; though they are all related to the central issues of political science. Since politics is the omnipresent existence of people, parties, resources, power and potential, there is great opportunity to do applied Political Science in addition to abstracted or theoretical studies. Political Science can justifiably be used to further actual political goals, or predict events such as elections, revolutions, assassinations, and patriotism. However, because of this practicality, contemporary Political Scientists do not spend a lot of time analyzing what politics is per se. There is a strong element of taking the political for granted, since it is almost commonsense. For example, nobody has to define what Sweden is, or argue whether it really exists. Moreover, during times of war, it is rare for a nation to ask for assistance from sociologists or economists. Political Science has a level of expertise that is broad, deep, and self-sufficient. Consequently, many Political Scientists can take for granted the deep philosophical and historical roots of their discipline, because they are so engaged in the products of it's fruit. The history of the American Political Science Association (http://www.apsanet.org/index.cfm) testifies to this division in self-understanding.
Contemporary political science
Political Scientists study the allocation and transfer of power in decision making, the roles and systems of governance including governments and international organizations, political behavior and public policies. Political Science seeks both to advance positive theses, by analyzing politics, and to advance normative theses, by making specific policy recommendations. Political scientists measure the success of governance and specific policies by examining many factors, including stability, justice, material wealth, and peace. The study of Political Science is complicated by the frequent involvement of Political Scientists in the political process, since their teachings often provide the frameworks within which other commentators, such as journalists, special interest groups, politicians, and the electorate analyze issues and select options. Political Scientists may serve as advisors to specific politicians, or even run for office as politicians themselves. Political Scientists can be found working in governments, in political parties or as civil servants. They may be involved with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) or political movements. In a variety of capacities, people educated and trained in Political Science can add value and expertise to corporations. Private enterprises such as think tanks, reserach institutes, polling and public relations firms often employ political scientists. In the United States, political scientists known as "Americanists" look at a variety of data including elections, public opinion and public policy such as Social Security reform, foreign policy, U.S. congressional power, and the Supreme Court to name only a few issues.
Current fields of study
Comparative Politics (or Comparative government) is the comparison of different forms of government in different settings. In the United States and Canada, it also frequently includes those who pursue regional studies; that is, studies that specialize in a particular state, province or region. International relations focuses on the study of the dynamics of relations between states, and, more recently, on transnational issues such as the environment, human trafficking, trade, social movements, labor like co-operatives, or preventing terrorism. The complex interplay of economic and political choices is reflected in the field of political economy where political science tries to understand the normative implications of economic structures and theories. Political Elites and political behavior, and the interplay between them, is studied in the field of political psychology. Political Theory involves the study of normative questions of government, ideology, regimes, movements, and the history of political philosophy.
See also
- List of political scientists
- Political science basic topics
- Category:Political science terms
- Political psychology
