Political science (textbook): politics and political science (introduction) Flashcards
What is politics?
Politics is the ongoing competition between people, usually groups, to shape policy in their favour.
What is the core concept of politics?
Politics is ultimately about power. The power to shape other peoples behaviour.
Why is power a necessary ingredient in politics?
Without power, groups and individuals would not be able to pursue their goals and/or policies.
What is the rational explanation of political power; why are governments created through this explanation; questions that arise?
Politics is a rational decision - people know what they want most of the time - and so they form civil society to stop anarchy. Governments are created to safeguard life and property. If they become abusive then people can dissolve them. Rationality can explain why we change our mind as some of the other explanations underplay human reason, such as the biological, psychological and social.
What is the irrational explanation of political power?
Humans are irrational thus meaning they can be easily manipulated into confirming to beliefs and opinions. This can lead to war, economic ruin or tyranny. Examples of this irrationality include Hitler, Mussolini and Bin Laden.
What is the biological explanation of political power and what questions does this raise?
As said by Aristotle, ‘Man is by nature a political animal.’ This argument says we naturally live in herds and that we biologically need each other for survival - this naturally creates hierarchy. If this is the case however, why do groups split up? This begs the question of which circumstances promote or undermine the formation of political groups?
What is the psychological explanation of political power?
This follows the path that we have evolved to be naturally conformist - similar to the biological explanation. This has happened through years and years of evolution. This theory is backed up by more empirical evidence and study.
What is the cultural explanation of political power and what are the benefits and issues that arise from this?
The fundamental belief of this theory is that all behaviour is learned and not innate. Cultural values are the basis of which political communities are formed.
Cultural theorists see a problem when the political system becomes out of touch with the cultural system.
Issues and applications of this include the question of where does culture come from and why aren’t political systems as different as their cultures. This can be seen as a method of political campaigning - politicians often try to appeal to people’s beliefs and culture.
There is optimism that if all human behaviour is learned bad behaviour can be altered. This however takes a long time as a culture change is hard.
What is political science?
Political science refers to the methods we use to study politics. It is the calm objective analysis of politics, which may or may not aid working politicians. This is usually done to improve humankind’s existence.
Why is politics considered ‘the master science’ and who said this (give an example)?
Aristotle claimed that politics was the master science. He meant that almost everything happens in a political context, that the decisions of the polis (the Greek city-state and root of our words polite, police and politics) governed most things. E.g. the decision of which departments get more funding than others at university.
How are scientific methods used in political science?
There are two types of data when analysing politics: quantitative and qualitative data.
Quantitative data is related to the use of statistics and numbers to explain questions in politics. These are usually on smaller scale topics such as election returns or congressional voting.
Qualitative data is non-numerical data that looks for individuals beliefs, opinions, motivations etc. This is used for bigger scale questions, such as how and why do leaders make their decisions?
The combining of this empirical data allows us to find persistent patterns within politics, this then turns into generalisations which solidify into theories.
How can political scientists reduce bias within their studies?
Reason - You must be very clear with your reasoning and it should make sense. If your perspective is coloured by an underlying assumption this should be stated. Try to avoid structuring a study that supports a given view.
Balanced - Looking at the various approaches to the topic studied and what other researchers have found. This presents a more objective and convincing case.
Evidence - The studies should be supported with evidence.
Theoretical - Scholarship is always connected to a theoretical point. It should confirm or refute an existing theory, adding to the scholarship of the discipline.
What are the uses of political science?
Good political science can contribute to policy and good government. Working politicians use the studies conducted by political scientists to improve government.
What are the subfields of political science?
US politics, comparative politics, international relations, political throw, public administration, constitutional law and public policy.
What do political scientists seek to do and give examples?
Political scientists seek to generalise. Examples of questions they might look at include: Under what circumstances to civil conflicts lead to genocide?; What are the consequences of revolution?
