INDORE INSTITUTE

OF LAW
(Affiliated to D.A.V.V and BCI , New Delhi)
SUBJECT POLITICAL SCIENCE
WWW.INDOREINSTITUTEOFLAW.ORG
PRESENTED BY DR. VARSHA SHARMA UPADHYAY
 B.A.L.L.B
SEMESTER I
UNIT - I
Introduction to political science

Plato (427-347 B.C.) and Aristotle (384-322 B.C.) were the two early
Greek political philosophers who made far-reaching and lasting
contribution in the field of political science. In his famous book, the
Republic, Plato justified moral significance of the State, its organic
unity, educational functions and above all its supremacy over the
individuals.
Aristotle is said to be the intellectual child of Plato and in his famous
book, the Polities, he first developed a systematic study of political
science as an independent academic discipline.
Introduction

Aristotle is regarded as the father of Political Science, because of

his far-reaching and permanent contribution in the field of political
science
The term political science or politics has been derived from the
Greek word Polis, which means the City- State or the State. Hence
Political Science deals with the problems of City or the State in
which men live. It is, therefore, defined as the study of the activities
of the state.
The ancient Greeks made no distinction between the state and the
Government on one hand, and State and Society on the other.
They never differentiated between personal life and social life.
Hence according to them Politics was a total study of man, society,
state, morality and so on.
Politics as the study of the state

Traditionally Political science is a science of state. Political thinkers

like R.G. Gettel, J.W. Garner, Bluntschli and many others were of the
view that political science was the study of the state.

R.G. Getlel defined Political Science as a study of state in the past,

present and future and of Political institutions and Political theories.
J.W.Garner States, Political Science begins and ends with the
state
Political science study of the
Government
Some Political Scientists like Paul Janet, George Catlin, Hans Eulan
have accepted the view which states that politics deals with the
state and government.
Paul Janet writes Political Science is concerned with the
foundations of the state and principles of government. George
Catlin states Politics means either the activities of political life or the
study of these activities. And these activities are generally treated as
activities of the various organs of government.
Political science study of national
institutions
Bridal expressed the view that Political Science is, above all,
descriptive study which brings together the description of national
political institutions, their history, their ideological principles, their
working, the forces that direct them, the influence they undergo, the
results they obtain and their effect on the life of the country and its
relations with neighbouring states
Traditional approach

The concept of Political Science as a study of State, Government

and national Institution is not considered adequate today. This
aspect of above definitions emphasizes the legal structure only.
They do not pay attention to what is happening within the State.
Political Science must include the study of informal structures, facts
and reality of Politics. Hence, modern Political thinkers defined
Political Science differently and taken modern approach.
Political science as a study of
power
Modern Political thinkers like Lasswell, Robert Dahl have defined
politics in terms of power, influence, and authority. According to
these thinkers Power has acquired prominent position in political
thought.
Harold Lasswell considers, Politics is the study of shaping and
sharing Political powers
Robert A. Dahl defined that, A Political system is any persistent
pattern of human relationship that involves, to a significant extent
power, rule or authority
Political science as a study of
conflict resolution
This view was suggested by Miller in his `Nature of Politics. The
purpose of a political activity is either to bring about a change or
resist a change. People compete with each other to satisfy their
needs. When resources are limited and the people who want to
utilize them are many conflicts arise. Politics is a means to resolve this
conflict.
According to Peter B. Haris The Modern emphasis in the study of
Politics is laid on disagreements and reconciliation or resolution of
these disagreement.
Political science co relation of
forces
Encyclopedia of Social Sciences States, Present day political
science revolves around the problem of the attainment,
consolidation and distribution of political power whether in an
actually existing state or a hypothetical state.
Political Institution and politics can not function in vacuum. Social
and economic forces affect the political process. Hence they also
must be taken into account.
Analysis and conclusion

The several definitions of the term Political Science reflect the changing
understanding of the discipline. From above definitions we may say that
there are mainly two approaches of looking at Political-Science. 1)
Traditional approach 2) Morden approach.
The Traditional Approach suggests that Political-Science is the study of
State, Government and National Institutions. It studies the formal, legal
structures and theoroitical part.
The Modern Approach emphasizes What is actually happening in the
state. It stressed on reality and actual facts of politics. Thus it studies
various forces, processes and informal structures making it dynamic.
However, it can be said that political - Science is a systematic study of
the State, Government, Political institutions, Power, influence and
authority, Political processes and Political forces
Nature of political science

Political Science is a social science. Its nature is different than

physical sciences like physics and chemistry. Whenever we study the
origin, evolution and development of Political Science; we find
various aspects of the nature of Political Science.
The definitions and meaning of Political Science shows that it is a
systematic study of Political theory, Political Institutions, Political
forces and processes. When we call Politics as `Political Science, we
have to see how far this subject stands to the tests of science in the
strict sense of the term.
 Very often a question is raised whether the discipline of Politics can
be regarded as a science? There is no unanimity among Political
thinkers whether the subject is a Science. What is a Science?
Science is a systematic body of knowledge, the facts of which
have been accurately and impartially collected, arranged and
classified through the use of various scientific methods of
observation, comparison and experimentation
Political Scientists like Maitland, Burke, Gettel do not think that
Politics is really a Science
Political science is not a science

Disagreement in Definition, Terminology and Methods

Lack of Precision
Human beings
Limited experimentation
Lack of objectivity
Difficult to predict future
Political science is a science

Not pure science but a social science

Political experiments
Broad conclusions
Empirical studies and careful observation
Systematic theory
Is politics an Art

The term `Art refers to the practical application of knowledge.

Political Science applies the knowledge about political events for
creating a good social and political order. Hence it is an art.
Robert Dhal States that Political Science is both Science and Art.
Whenever students of Political Science test their theories against the
data of experience by observation, the political analysis can be
regarded as scientific. When this political analysis is applied for the
working of political institution it is an art