LECTURE-1

Political Science-Meaning and Scope

1. Origin:

Some reputed scholars were allocated with the grounds of political science long before
the original period of Greek civilization. Greek thinkers, however, made a substantial
contribution to the development of this subject on a scientific basis. Socrates, a well-
known Greek Philosopher, philosophically discussed issues of politics. Plato, a follower
of Socrates, in his book “Republic” developed political principles comprehensively and
laid the foundation of a strange mode of thinking in politics. But the science of politics
could not attain the status of independent science in the writing of both philosophers.

The term ‘Politics’ is closely related to the Greek word ‘Polis’ meaning ‘city-state’ (for
affairs of the cities-for affairs of the state). The study of politics dates back to the 5th
century BCE Greece with immense contributions by political philosophers Plato (428/427
BCE – 348/347 BCE) and Aristotle (384 BCE- 322 BCE). Before the 20th century, the
study of politics was integrated with other disciplines such as history and philosophy.

Politics was primarily concerned with the study of ethics. It further focused on the study
of political ideas, political institutions and procedures within states and the relations
between states. But the last two centuries witnessed the study of politics focused on the
conflict between liberty and equality. In the 21st century, a central theme has been the
constant conflict between liberty and security. Some other major themes that are not
central to the study of politics are development, environmental sustainability, gender
equality and international peace and cooperation.

All through history, political philosophers have different perspectives on the central
theme of politics. The Greek philosopher Aristotle, the father of Political Science,
considered the study of politics as a systematic inquiry to understanding the truth about
politics to explain the relationship between the State and the individual. He described and
classified different political systems. Aristotle and Plato made huge contributions to the
origin and development of the discipline. Plato analysed different political systems
and Aristotle, closely following the trails of his teacher Plato, gave the analysis a
historical perspective. They tried to understand the working of different forms of
government.

The important developments in Political Science since the time it became a distinct
academic discipline occurred in the United States. Until then, Politics was a part of
disciplines such as philosophy, law and economics. Political Science as an autonomous
discipline dates back to 1880 when John W. Burgess established a School of Political
Science at Columbia University. By the 1920’s most of the leading Universities
established an exclusive department for the study of Political Science. The American
Political Scientists showed tremendous interest in this direction and took efforts to
separate it from history, law and philosophy. The discipline had a very formalistic and
institutional approach and this trend continued up to the Second World War.

2. Definition of Political Science:

The word politics has different interpretations. Definitions of politics vary according to
the variety of activities that have been considered political from time to time.

Early Definitions or Traditional View of Politics:

All the concepts of political science before the nineteenth century belong to the traditional
view. And the entire political scientists at that time are called traditional political
scientists.

• According to the traditional political scientist from the early part of 20th century such as
J W Garner, Henry Sidgwick, R G Gettel and others Politics deals mainly with study of
state and government or related institutions.

• R G Gettel defined politics as the study of the state in the past, present and future, of
political organization and political function, of political institutions and political theories.
• According to Laski "the study of politics concerns itself with the life of man in relation
to organized states.”

• According to Garner, “Political science begins and ends with state.”

• According to Leacock, “Political science deals with government.”

Thus from above definitions it is clear that the traditional view of politics was narrow,
static and limited and included only the study of state and government, its structure and
organisation etc.

Modern View of Political Science:

In the beginning of the 20th 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. In this context, new
definitions emerged.

• Harold Laswell: “Politics is the study of influence and the influential or the study of the
shaping and sharing of power”

• David Easton: “Politics is the authoritative allocation of values.”

• Catlin: “Political Science is the study of the act of human and social control.”

• Andrew Heywood: “Politics can be defined as an activity through which people make,
preserve and amend the general rules under which they live.”

Modern political scientists consider politics as a process cantering around power and
influence. They are concerned with not just the state and the government, but also the
study and evaluation of political activities, political power, processes and
nongovernmental institutions.

However, from the discussion of both the traditional and modern views of political
science, it could have an acceptable definition. Political science is a part of social science
in which the philosophical, organizational, and administrative context of the state and
politics, the context of national and international, legal and organizational relations, and
the comparative context of multiple political systems are scientifically discussed and
reviewed.

3. Meaning and Scope of Political Science:

Meaning of political science:

The word “politics” has been derived from the Greek word “polis” a city-state. In the
ancient Greek civilization, a citizen was a member of that small and distinct socio-
political order. In contrast to it, citizens of a modern state occupy a vast territory, aware
of a huge setup, in which the life of a citizen is divided into different fields of activity.

Political science is the study of politics and power from domestic, international, and
comparative perspectives. It requires understanding political ideas, ideologies,
institutions, policies, processes, and behaviour, as well as groups, classes, government,
diplomacy, law, strategy, and war. A background in political science is valuable for
citizenship and political action, as well as for future careers in government, law, business,
media, or public service.

Political science is that branch of the social sciences that studies the state, politics, and
government. Political Science deals extensively with the analysis of political systems,
the theoretical and practical applications to politics, and the examination of political
behaviour.

Political science is the combination of two words one Political and another science.
Political refers to power and authority. That is, everything related to power and authority
is political. For example, all institutions (State, Government, Judiciary, Parliament,
Pressure groups, Political parties, etc) and actions of humans related to power are subject
to politics.

Scope of Political science

The scope of Political Science implies its jurisdiction or subject matter. Political Science
is a very wide and comprehensive subject. There is no agreement among the Political
Scientists as regards the scope of Political Science. Despite this disagreement, we may
attempt to define the scope of Political Science which includes the followings:

i. Analysis of the past:

The study of the past events is essential for an effective analysis of the present-day
situation. In order to have a correct assessment of the working of different political
institutions, it is necessary to keep into attention their working in historical viewpoint.

ii. Study of the present:

Political science is mainly concerned with the working of the state machinery and it major
aim is to improve efficiency and eradicate road blocks. The study of Political science is
useful, if it incorporates within its fold a discussion of the working of different political
institutions on comparative basis.

iii. Understanding the future course:

The study of political science is not merely confined to fact finding or political analysis of
the past. It presents on the other hand such guiding principles which can be helpful in the
solution of the political problems. It is necessary that the future course of action of action
suggested by the scientists.

iv. Study of the State and Government:

Political Science primarily studies the problems of the State and government. The state is
defined as a group of people organised for law within a definite territory. The State
possesses four characteristics, viz. Population, territory, government and sovereignty.
Government is an agent of the Stale. Political Science studies the activities of the State
and explains the aims and objectives of the State and government.

v. A Study of Political Theory:

Political theory is a major branch of Political Science. Based on the political ideas or
thoughts of political thinkers, political theory formulates definitions or concepts like
democracy, liberty, equality, grounds of political obligation, etc. A student of Political
Science must start his lessons with political theory. The political theory explains the basic
concepts of Political Science. It also includes the study of political philosophy.

vi. A Study of Political Institutions:

The field of Political Science is rather vast. It includes the study of political institutions.
This covers a study of constitutions and comparative government, explains their merits
and demerits, their structure and working and arrives at different conclusions on a
comparative basis. Moreover, the study of public administration and local government
may be included in this area. These institutions are useful to the nation and hence they are
studied along with the State.

vii. A Study of Political Dynamics:

The study of political dynamics has become significant in the 20th century. It means the
current forces at work in government and politics. It covers a wide range and includes the
study of political parties, public opinion, pressure groups, lobbies, etc. A scientific study
of the working of these political dynamics helps to explain the political behaviour of
individuals and different groups. The study in this field is often done in collaboration with
other social sciences like sociology, anthropology and philosophy.

viii. A study of International Relations and international law:

Lastly, the scope of Political Science includes a study of international relations which has
become significant since the first quarter of the 20th century. It covers a wide range and
includes diplomacy, international politics, international law, international organisations
like the United Nations, etc. The States are the subjects of international law. International
law has assumed greater importance in recent times.

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 LECTURE-2

Importance of Political Science

The importance of political science lies in the fact that all of us live within political
systems and we are affected by the changes in the global political economy. With the
advent of globalization, there has been a connected rise in the interest taken by the people
of the world in understanding the political systems of other countries. Hence, political
scientists become appreciated and important as they provide the lens through which we
can understand the global political economy.

After knowing about the definition and scope of political science, you have realized some
basic points which tell you why to study it. Or what is the importance of political
science?

i. Understand Citizenship:

Political science enables you to understand the relationship between individuals or

citizens and the state. Citizen participates in the decision-making process of governance
in the name of election and forms a government under which they are governed. The
political parties contest elections and the individuals participate in these elections and
elect their representatives to govern them.

ii. Know Political Thoughts and Ideas of the Well-known Political Thinkers:

We are influenced by the ideas of political thinkers like Plato, Aristotle, Hobbes, Karl
Marx, etc. and it helps us to understand the present political problem and allows us to find
out the solution to those problems.

iii. Make Citizens Aware of Their Rights and Duties:

I have already said that it allows us to understand our rights and duties in the society we
live. Rights are the most important aspect of any individual. Rights are the one which
helps individuals to grow in terms of their talent. Besides this, it also tells citizens about
their duties to society.

iv. Understands Recent Trends in the World:

It also allows us to understand the current trends in the world. By the study of political
science, we can search for what is happening around us. This is the era of globalization.
And globalization affects our daily life but how? To solve this question we have to study
it.

v. Understand the Role of Government, Political Party and Pressure Groups:

What should be the role of a political party and how do pressure groups affect the
decision-making process of the government? It gives you clear ideas of these questions
that help you to understand how the government is formed, what’s your role in the
decision-making process of the government etc. So it can be said that a modern man
cannot be perfect without knowing facts about political science. In simple importance it is
precious. It improves our living standards.

Relation of Political Science with History, Sociology and Law:

Aristotle has called Political Science „The Master Science‟ as it deals with human beings
who is a social beings having many dimensions; historical, political, economic,
psychological, sociological etc. Political Science is concerned with the political aspect of
this social man and his interaction with the various dimensions of his social life, be it
economic, social, psychological, sociological, historical etc.

a. History and Political Science:

John Seeley once remarked that “History without Political Science has no fruit and
Political Science without History has no root.” Seeley might have exaggerated the
relationship between the two yet there is an intimate relationship between the two social
sciences and they borrow heavily from each other. Political science deals with states and
institutions related to it which have their roots in history and in order to understand them
fully one has to trace their historical evolution. History through its vast resources provides
good scope for comparative analysis of political structures and institutions of different
times to arrive at the best possible model. Robson believes that some knowledge of
History is indispensable for Political Science and cites the explanation offered by
Professor R. Solatu at the Cambridge Conference Professor Solatu said, “that he had been
baffled all through his teaching career, especially during the 20 years he had spent in the
Middle East, about how to teach the history of political philosophy to students whose
historical background is usually inadequate, and often limited to purely political theory
since the French Revolution.

Differences:

Despite the closer attraction to both subjects, they have different approaches and
methodologies. Firstly, a student and researcher in the discipline of political science are
not concerned with all historical facts his study is only restricted to historical events that
have political importance. Secondly, political science deals with the present and future
while history is concerned with past events only. Furthermore, both subjects have
different dimensions of research skills and techniques.

b. Sociology and Political Science:

Sociology is the science that deals with human beings and their social relationship.
Political science deals with the political activities of men. Political activities influence
and are influenced by the social life of men. Political science studies state, government
and power mostly while sociology provides sociological background to the forms of
government, the nature of governmental organs, the laws and the sphere of state activities
as determined by the social processes. As political science deals with the state sociology
also studies the state as one of the human associations. The special study of the political
life of society is very important for the complete study of society as a whole. According
to Morris Ginsberg ''Historically, Sociology has its main roots in politics and philosophy
of history". The state, which is the centre of political science in its early stage, was more
of a social than a political institution.

Differences:

However, both the subjects have a close relationship, but both have changed their
separate objectives, scope and style of research. Firstly, sociology basically deals with
individuals, habits attitudes and customs in his sociological setting. On the other side
political science explain political activities within the body politic in its scope and method
comparatively. Secondly, sociology deals with the study of organised and unorganized
groups while political science explains the deal with politically organized society.
Thirdly, sociologist does not bother to draw principles and concept as a guideline for
future course of action, while political science analysis and explain past events to shape a
good political life in future.

c. Law and Political Science:

Law and politics are deeply intertwined. Law is an essential part of government action; a
system on which government administration is based, it is rules created and enforced
through the social or governmental institution to regulate the behaviour of a country.
State-enforced laws are made by legislatures. The legal system varies from country to
country, with an analysed difference in their comparative law. It is therefore an important
part of the political struggle and shapes itself as politics is conducted. The early
American jurist James Wilson observed that law is the “great sinew of government”. In
public law, politics is not a product of politics but also constitutive of politics.

The study of politics is a varied and multidisciplinary enterprise. Political science is a

social science that deals with the government system and political activities, political
thoughts and political behaviour are analysed by it. Political science deals widely with the
theory and practice of politics which is commonly thought of as determining the
distribution of power and resources. Political scientists are busy revealing the
relationships underlying political events and conditions and from this attempt to build
general principles about the way the world of politics works. Political science influences
and informs the public opinion that can shape the law.

The division between the two approaches is unnecessary as they complement each
other. Political science approaches can help the legal academy rigorously test the
assumptions and implications of important normative debates. This is one area in which
law can contribute much to political science: law can help to guide the precise questions
being asked to ensure that the resultant answers are substantively important. Political
science is a rigorous discipline that can benefit both legal scholars and lawyers.

Differences:

Politics is the interaction between decision-makers, interested parties and the public, the
process of obtaining agreement or making decisions after negotiation and debate. In
politics, the interests of groups and individuals are considered and weighed against other
interests. Law is what a government requires of its citizens and will punish if violated.
Law determines rights and responsibilities from existing statutes, treaties, regulations,
publications, court rules, court decisions and constitutions.