MEANING AND SCOPE OF POLITICAL SCIENCE

MEANING AND SCOPE OF POLITICAL SCIENCE

• The ancient Greeks thought of Political Science as a political philosophy.  They laid stress on the ethical aspects of politics.  During the middle ages,   political science became a branch of the church, subordinating political authority to the authority of the church.
• In Modern Times, political science acquired a realistic and secular approach.  As a result of the emergence of capitalism following the industrial revolution, the role of the state underwent considerable changes.
• The subject of political science became a specialised science of the state.  it studied different forms of Government and its organs like the legislature, executive and judiciary.
• Laski stated that the study of political science concerned itself with the life of men or women in relation to organised States.
• In the 20th century, the behavioural approach shifted the focus of study from political institutions to their functions and to the study of political activities and behaviour of men and women.
• The scope of political science includes the study of the rule of the state functions of Government and its relationship with citizens.
• Political Science is distinct from politics.  While the former deals with the study of politics, the latter refers to the problems of men and women which interact with political power and conflict with each other.
• Power is the ability to control others.  It is the capacity to get things done as one would like others to do.  Power in combination with legitimacy is called authority.
• Generally, freedom is defined as the absence of restraints in the behaviour of a person.  But positive freedom means self-realisation and that individual should be free to act only to the extent that others’ freedom is not curtailed.  Law protects freedom. Generally, it is considered that there is justice in a society if it rewards people on the basis of merit without being oblivious of the needs of the worst-off.  Further,  freedom and equality are considered important pillars of Justice

 Q: Define Political Science.

Answer: According to Bluntschli, "Political Science is the science which is concerned with the state, which endeavours to understand and comprehend the state in its fundamental conditions, in its essential nature, its various forms of manifestation, its development. "

Q: What is meant by power?

Answer: Power is the ability or capacity to influence and control others' actions and make them do what one wants them to do.

Q: Describe two characteristics of authority. 

Answer: 1. Authority is Hierarchical: Authority is always hierarchical. It means the presence of two persons - one superior, the other subordinate. One who has authority receives a command from his superiors and gives orders to his subordinates. 

2. Authority is Accepted and Respected: Authority is the power that has been accepted and is respected by the people.

Q: Describe the kinds of liberty.

Answer: The kinds of liberty are as follows:

1.     Natural Liberty,

2.     Moral Liberty, 

3.     National Liberty, 

4.     Civil Liberty,

5.     Economic Liberty,

6.     Political Liberty,

7.     Personal Liberty.

Q: Define Justice.

Answer: According to J S Mill, "Justice is the name for certain classes of moral values, which concern the essentials of human well being more clearly and are therefore of more absolute obligation than any other rules for the guidance of life.

Q: What are the Indian perception of Political Science?

Answer: The most ancient term for the science of politics was Arthashastra, used by Kautilya. In his words, Political Science was, "The science which deals with the acquisition and protection or governance of the territory."

Q: Give the definition of Political Science as given by Garner.

Answer: Garner says, "Political Science begins and ends with the state."

Q: Mention the word from which the term 'politics' has been derived. Write its meaning.

Answer: 'Politics' has been derived from the Greek word 'polis' which means The City State. 

Q: Mention two of the safeguards which are essential for attaining liberty.

Answer: 1. Fundamental Rights: Each state should guarantee its citizens certain fundamental rights. These are the minimum rights that each citizen is sure to enjoy in all circumstances and which if denied either by the state or any other competent authority, can be challenged in the courts of law.

2. Rules of Law: There should be a rule of law that implies that all the citizens in a state should be treated by the same set of rules.

Q: Mention any one distinction between political science and politics. 

Answer: One major distinction between political science and politics is that political science is concerned with the theoretical aspects of the state, like when and how the state came into being, what should be the functions of the state, etc. But politics is concerned with the state in actual working, current problems of the government etc.

Q: State any two civil rights of the citizens. 

Answer: Two important civil rights of the citizens are as under:

1.   Right to life: The right to life is the most important and essential right of a citizen and every state is required to extend and protect this right. As a matter of fact, the state came into being for this purpose.

2.  Right to freedom of expression: It is through the means of this right that the citizens make their ideas known to one another and achieve success in life.

Q: What is liberty?

Answer: Some people think that liberty means the absence of all restraints. But it is not the correct meaning of liberty. Man is a social animal and his liberty is related to the freedom of other members of society. So liberty, in reality, means freedom of the man to do what is worth doing in society. T.H. Green has rightly said, "Liberty is the positive power of doing or enjoying something worth doing or enjoying." Liberty, therefore, means freedom to do what is not harmful to other members of the society. 

Q: Explain the changing meanings of Political Science. 

Answer: According to traditional thinkers,  Political Science is the study of the state, it begins and ends with the state. But modern or behavioural thinkers consider Political Science in many other ways like it is the science of power, it is the study of the whole political system.

According to Prof. Garner and Bluntschli, Political Science is the study of the state. John Seeley and Dr Leacock consider Political Science as the study of government. Others like Gilchrist, Paul Janet, Gattel consider it the study of state and government both.

Q: Write a note on the growth of the Discipline of Political Science. 

Answer: The discipline of Political Science also has an evolutionary nature. It has been changing and developing with the change of time. This is evident from the facts stated below:

1.     Greek philosophers like Plato and Aristotle in the 4th century B.C. studied the subject in a systematic way and used it in the most comprehensive manner. It was considered not only a science of state and government but a science of family, property and other social institutions. They studied the state mainly from an ethical point of view. 

2.     Romans considered the legal aspect of the state as more important.

3.     The outlook of the subject again changed during the middle ages. The state was completely under the domain of the Church and religion and ecclesiastical laws had a superior position.

4.     With the beginnings of the modern age, the state grew in size, liberated itself from clutches of Church authorities and adopted a secular outlook. But its main function was only to maintain law and order and protection from external invasions. It was called a police state.

5.     After the industrial revolution, the state underwent many changes with the emergence of new economic order and was also expected to step into the economic field.

6.     After the Second World War, the Discipline of Political Science had a radical change and growth. The behavioural approach mainly by American Political Scientists added a lot to the scope of the subject. According to this approach, Political Science is not the study of state only but the study of the whole political system and this has laid more emphasis on the practical working of the political system.

7.     The Marxist approach which is based mainly on the writings of Karl Marx of the 19th century views politics as a study of irreconcilable conflicts between rich and poor. It ultimately supports the establishment of a classless and stateless society. 

Thus the Discipline of Political Science had tremendous growth.  

Q: Describe the scope of Political Science in terms of the role of State and functions of government.

Answer:

Scope of Political Science in terms of the role of State and Functions of government:

1. Role or Study of state: Political Science is the study of the state. Prof. Garner says that Political Science begins and ends with the States we study state in its totality – the state in the past, the state in the present and the state in future.

Prof. Gettel has said, “ Political science is a historical investigation of what the state has been, an analytical study of what the state is and politico-ethical discussion of what the state ought to be.’ Thus we study how and when the state came into its present form, and what factors or conditions helped in its development, how the being. We have to study how the state developed from its original form to its and individuals, its ends and its objectives. In its future form, we try to achieve a present state works, its various agencies, its relations with other associations perfect state.

2. Functions or Study of Government: Government is the element of the state which formulates, expresses and fulfils the will of the state. All the acts of the state are performed by the government and this is why many people do not find a difference between the state and the government. We have to study the organisation of the government, its various organs like Executive, Legislature and Judiciary, their working, various forms of the government etc.

Q: Distinguish between political Science and Politics.

Answer: Politics is concerned with the current problems of the state and government. The politics of one country is different from that of another country. Political Science, on the other hand, is concerned with theoretical politics. In Political Science, we study the principles of State, Government, Constitution, lawmaking, the different kinds of state, the actual working of the political institutions etc. The actual politics of all the states differ. Political Scientists, after studying the actual politics of various states formulate institutions.

Thus, there is a distinction between political Science and politics. But they are interdependent also. On the basis of the study of politics, principles of Political Science are formulated and politics is influenced by the principles of political Science. 

Q:  Write a note on the rights and duties of an individual.

Answer: The relationship between citizens and the government is reciprocal. The citizens are members of the State. The state recognizes certain rights of the citizens and in turn expects certain duties from them.

So far as the rights of the citizens are concerned, they can be divided into three;

1. Civil Rights – these are the rights that are necessary for the freedom of the individual. They include the right to life and personal liberty, right to freedom of speech, expression and thought, right to own property, right to enter into a contract, right to equality before the law and equal protection by law.

2. Political Rights – Political rights include the right to vote and the right to contest election.

3. Social Rights – These include the right to some degrees of economic welfare and security and the right to live the life of a civilised being according to standards prevailing in the society.

It is the primary duty of the citizens to pay taxes to the government. They should co-operate with the government and abide by the laws and rules; should help in preventing diseases by immunization and by keeping the neighbourhood clean. They should preserve public property, help in catching and punishing anti-social and anti-national elements.

Q: Define liberty in its positive and negative dimensions.

Answer: The term liberty is derived from the Latin word ‘liber’ meaning free. Thus liberty means freedom. Historically speaking, the term liberty was initially defined as the absence of all restraints on an individual. This is known as the negative concept of liberty. Early liberalism championed negative liberty. John Stuart Mill, the nineteenth-century English political philosopher, described, ‘Restraint as an evil.’

However, since individuals live together in a society, the complete absence of restraints would be neither possible nor desirable. For liberty should be enjoyed by everyone, it should have reasonable restraints. This is the concept of positive liberty. This concept further means freedom to be a master of one’s own self. Harold J Laski supported this concept. The freedom of many requires restraint of law on the freedom of some. Later liberals supported positive liberty.

Q: What do you mean by Equality of opportunity?

Answer: Equality of opportunity means everybody should have the same chance to access public position and office. An example of the working of the equality of opportunity in India is the Civil Services Examination conducted by the Union Public Services Commission. Any Indian graduate from any university in India can take the examination.

Q: Explain the term justice and bring out the different conceptions of it.

Answer: The term justice is derived from the Latin word 'jus', which means a bond. Thus the word justice means joining or fitting. "Justice", says E Barker, "is the reconciler and the synthesis of political values." The best general definition of justice is to "render to everyone his/her due."

There are two major conceptions of distributive/social justice, one involves the notion of merit and the other involves need and equality. 

Merit - The first conception argues that each person's social position and wealth must be decided on the basis of merit. However, the question is how to measure merit or talent? The liberals say that the price that someone can command in a free market is a reasonable indicator of his/her value to others. The socialist critics are of the opinion that market receipts are often affected by chance and social background which have nothing to do with merit.

Need and Equality - The second conception views that goods, positions, etc. should be allocated on the basis of a person's needs. But how to define needs? Everybody agrees on food, shelter and clothing. Beyond this, there is no agreement. However, others are of the opinion that needs can be satisfied by two agencies - the welfare state and the market. Some needs can be satisfied through the welfare state and others being allocated through the market.