Chapter 1-politics and knowledge

Question 1

Politics is the

Answer 1

Process through which power and influence are used In the promotion of certain values and interests

Question 2

Three types of political knowledge

Answer 2

Description
Explanation
Prescriptions

Question 3

What is description

Answer 3

What questions!
-usually based on facts, composed of relatively straightforward political facts

Ex. Hosni Mubarak resigned as president of Egypt

Question 4

What is explanation

Answer 4

Attempt to specify why something happens and to provide the reason or process by which the phenomenon occurs

Question 5

What is prescription

Answer 5

Ex. Statements about politics that include claims of assumptions that certain choices and actions are more desirable than others

-it is a value judgment that indicated what should occur and should be done

Question 6

What is an example of prescription

Answer 6

Many possible prescriptive responses to the question what should be the governments role in the provision of health care?

Question 7

Narrative political knowledge

Answer 7

Your value judgments
Combine three types of understanding
1- your descriptive knowledge of certain facts
2- explanatory knowledge of why certain outcomes occurs
3- your priorities around competing values

Question 8

What are sources of political knowledge

Answer 8

Authority
Personal thought
Science

Question 9

What does authority involve

Answer 9

The appeal to any document, tradition, or person believed to possess the controlling explanation regarding a particular issue

Question 10

Knowledge about politics can be based three kinds of authority sources

Answer 10

Specific authority
General authority
“Everyone”

Question 11

Example of specific authority

Answer 11

Teacher, prof, doctor

Question 12

General authority sources is one that has a substantial influence on….

Answer 12

A large population of people in a Society

Ex. Revered leaders, respected media or books

Question 13

Specific authority is when ….

Answer 13

an individual places great confidence in the knowledge he derives about politics from this one specific person

Question 14

Example of authority in the untied states

Answer 14

The document/ constitution of rights

Question 15

In Iran the key source of authority is the

Answer 15

Koran

Question 16

Why is everyone considered an authority figure

Answer 16

Because it can the a belief that’s strongly held by many people

Question 17

Pros for “everyone” as a source of authority

Answer 17

The beliefs held the test of time and are believed by many!

Question 18

Problems with authority as a source of political knowledge

Answer 18

They can be biased and shift your opinions

Question 19

Problems with general authorities

Answer 19

They might not have access to critical information or might rely on inaccurate data

Question 20

What is personal thought?

Answer 20

Facts that seem correct cause they seem obvious.

This second source of knowledge is about rationality, personal experience and intuition

Question 21

What’s rationality

Answer 21

Things seem logic cause they seem to just make sense.

Question 22

What’s intuition ?

Answer 22

Ones knowledge based on feeling, on a sense of understanding or empathy rather than reason.
Ex. You might feel something is right cause it FEELS right

Question 23

What is personal experience

Answer 23

Form of political knowledge based on personal experiences. People have different personal experiences, they might not come to the same conclusions on some kinds of controversy

Question 24

Science as a source is political knowledge

Answer 24

Uses explicit methods that attempt to enable different people to agree about what they know.
Describe and explain the what, why and how questions.

Question 25

Science is

Answer 25

Empirical

In the sense that it is concerned with stuff that can be observed or at least measure