The Scientific Approach to Politics

Question 1

Distinguish between normative and empirical analysis

Answer 1

Normative analysis deals with how society and political life should be ideally, based on normative judgments and values. For example, saying “every country should be a democracy, it is just” is a normative statement. In contrast, empirical analysis aims to describe and explain the political world as it is, using evidence and data. For instance, claiming “most wealthy countries are democratic” is an empirical statement.

Question 2

Understand why political science is considered a “science”

Answer 2

Political science is regarded as a science because it follows scientific principles, including empiricism, systematic research, and the application of the scientific method to study political phenomena.

Question 3

Know the differences between the natural and social sciences

Answer 3

The natural sciences, such as physics and chemistry, focus on studying the physical world and often involve controlled experiments. Social sciences, like political science, study human behavior and societal structures, which are more complex and less amenable to controlled experiments.

Differences Between Natural and Social Sciences:
1. Control over the research setting: In the natural sciences, researchers can often control their experimental settings to a greater degree, whereas in the social sciences, variables are often more challenging to manipulate.
2. Agreement over meaning and measurement of concepts: Natural sciences usually have greater consensus on the meanings and measurements of concepts. In contrast, the social sciences often deal with subjective or multifaceted concepts, leading to less agreement.
3. Determinacy of results: In the natural sciences, experiments often yield deterministic results that can be reliably predicted. Social sciences typically have more uncertainty due to the complexity of human behavior.

Question 4

Understand ontology and epistemology

Answer 4

Ontology concerns the nature of reality, including questions about whether there is a real, objective world independent of human knowledge. Epistemology deals with the nature of knowledge, particularly in the social sciences, where researchers grapple with questions about how to identify relationships between social phenomena, such as causality.

• These two philosophical concepts are fundamental in shaping a researcher’s approach to political science. Ontology deals with the nature of reality, and the stance taken on this affects how researchers perceive the existence of an objective world. Epistemology deals with how knowledge about the social world can be acquired, considering the challenges of causal relationships, observation, and interpretation.

Question 5

Positivism

Answer 5

• Positivism, which adheres to a foundationalist ontology, assumes that social phenomena exist independently of human knowledge. Its epistemology suggests that causal relationships should be uncovered through direct observation only. It seeks to establish predictive and universal knowledge statements. However, critics argue that all observations are influenced by the concepts applied to gather and analyze evidence.

Question 6

Interpretivism

Answer 6

• Interpretivism, in response to positivism, asserts that the social world is socially constructed. It emphasizes that the meanings humans attach to social phenomena are critical. It rejects the possibility of ‘objective’ analysis, asserting that researchers operate within discourses and traditions. Critics of interpretivism argue that it may offer subjective “opinions” without a clear basis for evaluating the validity of knowledge claims.

Question 7

Realism

Answer 7

• Realism accepts a foundationalist ontology, similar to positivism. It believes there is an objective reality to investigate. However, it acknowledges that not all causal relationships in the social world are directly observable. Realists recognize the role of human agency and social construction in social and political life, and they argue that these factors have a significant impact on social science explanations.