MEANING AND SCOPE OF POLITICAL SCIENCE

MEANING AND SCOPE OF POLITICAL SCIENCE

Q: Define Political Science?

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

According to Paul Janer, "Political Science is that part of Social Science, which treats of the foundations of the state and the principles of government."

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. Power in general terms is used in all walks of life. The term power is generally used for authority, influence, persuasion, force and coercion.

Q: Describe two characteristics of Authority.

Answer: 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 subordinate. Thus authority's structure is hierarchical.

Accepted and respected - Authority is the power that has been accepted and is respected by the people. One need not use force to exercise authority since the people accept it of their free will and respect it.

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 humans well being more clearly and are therefore of more absolute obligation than any other rues for the guidance of life."

Q: What is the Indian perception of Political Science?

 

Answer: The most ancient Indian term for the science of politics was Arthashastra, used by Kautilya. In his words, political science was, "The science which deals with 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." Thus, Political Science is the science of 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. City State was identical with today's state. Politics was used for the study of the state.

 

Q: Suggest 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. such actions which go against fundamental rights can be got declared as ultra-vires.

2. Rules of Law - There should be a rule of law that implies that all the citizens in a state, whether high or low, should be treated by some set of rules. In addition to this, every citizen should be allowed to approach the courts when he feels that he is being denied certain rights Rule of Law means governance according to laws and nobody to be above the law of the land.

 

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, lie when and how the state came into being, what should be functions of the state, what are the different forms of government, what should be the relations between the State and Citizens. 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: Citizens in a democratic state enjoy many rights: civil, economic, political. Two important civil rights of the citizens are as under:

1. Right to Life - 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 - Another civil right of the citizens is the right to freedom of speech and expression. It is through the means of this right that the citizen makes their ideas known to one another and achieve success in life.

Q: What is Liberty?

Answer: Liberty is very essential for the development of the life of every individual. This is why man has been striving for the enjoyment of maximum liberty. Some people think that liberty means the absence of all restraints or that atmosphere when the man can do whatever he likes. 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 the 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 society.

Q: Explain the changing meaning of Political science.

Answer: The meaning of Political science has also been changing with time. 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 Bluntschil, "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 "Ther study of State and government both."

Modern thinkers, Almond and Powell consider Political science as "The study of the whole political system'" Some like Callin and Robert Dahl consider it "To be the science of power or struggle for power."

Thus the meaning of optical science has been changing with time.

Q: Explain the relationship of Justice with Liberty and Equality.

Answer: Justice is closely related to Liberty and Equality. According to Rousseau, Justice is another name of liberty and equality. According to Laski, Social justice means social equality. According to Barker, Justice is the natural outcome of liberty and equality. Thus liberty and equality are two main aspects of justice. and we do not expect justice where there is no liberty and no equality.

Justice, liberty and equality are equally important for the man to realise the fullest development of his life and personality. man needs freedom, equality of treatment and opportunities, equal protection of Law and justice - social, economic and political. Thus, justice, liberty and equality are closely related.

Q: Discuss the positive aspect of Liberty. 

Answer: Liberty in its positive aspect is real liberty. Positive liberty means the freedom of the individual to do all those acts which are worth doing in society. It does not mean the absence of all restraints but the existence of reasonable restrictions on the activities of the individual. Positive liberty means the absence of unreasonable restrictions. it means that an individual should enjoy the freedom to do all such things which are worth doing for the welfare and development of his life and such things which are not harmful to society. Positive liberty is only that freedom of the individual which does not cause obstacles in the freedom of the other persons. Thus positive liberty is the existence of reasonable and just restrictions on the activities of the individual in place of unreasonable ones.

Q: Discuss the changing role of the state in society.

Answer: As there has been changing meaning of the subject of political science, in the same way, there have been changing views about the role and functions of the state.

In ancient times, Greek philosophers were of the view that state activities extended to social functions as well because they did not consider any difference between state and society. So the state performed all social functions and also made efforts for the moral development of its members.

In the middle ages, the state was under the control of the Church authorities and its role was to support the church.

In the 16th century, liberal ideas began spreading and the state was liberated from the control of the Church. It was considered that the main role of the state was to maintain law and order, protect the citizens from external invasion. It was not the role of the state to intervene in the economic field of society. Early liberalists thought that the state was a necessary evil and that its functions should be as minimum as possible.

But later on, after the Industrial Revolution when the bad consequences of the limited role concept of the state appeared on the surface, it was considered that only the state interference could save the poor and workers from exploitation by the rich, capitalists, industrialists and manufacturers. The concept of socialism emerged and the state was assigned more functions for the protection of the poor and workers.

In the 18th century appeared Marxist views which do not consider the state to be an impartial and necessary institution. Marxists advocated for the capture of state power by the workers through a social revolution and dictatorship of the working classes who would eliminate capitalism completely and establish a classless and stateless society.

In the 20th century emerged the concept of welfare state according to which the role of the state has increased manifold. It is advocated that the state is for the welfare of the people and it has the right to perform all those functions which are necessary and desirable for the welfare of the people. Today, the functions and roles of the state are increasing day by day.

Q: What is the scope of political science?

Answer: Scope of study of political science is very wide as under.

1. political science is the study of the state in totality, the state, how it came into being, various stages of its development, its present form and its nature, the state in future, what state ought to be.

2. It is the study of all political and non-political agencies which influence the working of the government like political parties, pressure groups, caste institutions, the election process, political behaviour, etc.

3. Political science is the study of the government and all political institutions like the executive, legislature and judiciary.

4. It is the study of political ideologies and theories which have emerged from time to time.

5. It is the study of law, power, authority, etc.

Q: Discuss the relationship between the State and Citizens.

Answer: There can be no state without citizens. People or the populations are the first essential element of the state. So both are inseparable. In fact, the state came into being for the protection of the life of the people and it continues to exist for making the life of the individual or its members, the citizens, good and better every day.

Citizens are the members of the state, who enjoy some rights or facilities from the state and also have to perform some obligations towards it. So both the state and the citizens are bound together with rights and duties. The rights of the citizens are the obligations of the state and the obligations or duties of the citizens are the rights of the state. Rights are those facilities that enable an individual to make the fullest development of his life and his duties are those which help in the existence and stability of the state as well as the protection of the life of the people as a whole.

Rights of the Citizens - Every state provides certain rights to the citizens. These rights can be more or less from state to state. These can be grouped into three main categories - Civil Rights, Political Rights and Social Rights. Civil Rights are those which are necessary for the liberty of the individual like the right to life, right to personal liberty, right to freedom of speech, thought and expression, right to family, right to own property, right to equality before the law, right to settle, right to movement, etc. These are available to the citizens almost in all types of states. Political Rights are like the right to vote, the right to be elected, the right to petition the government, etc. Social Rights are those which guarantee economic welfare, social security and the right to an honourable life. They also include economic rights.

Duties of Citizens towards the State - All citizens are bound to perform duties towards the state. A citizen has duties towards society, family, village or the city, the nation, towards the state he has to perform many duties which are legal and have binding force. These are like being loyal to the state, society and nation, payment of taxes, obedience of laws, cooperation with the government in the maintenance of law and order, rendering compulsory military service to maintain security and integrity of the state, to defend the nation, to protect the public property and contribute his due in the development and progress of the society.

Q: Give any definitions of politics as the study of power.

Answer; Modern thinkers give more importance to the actual working of the state and as such, they think that politics is the study of power. It is nothing but a struggle for power. Catline says, "politics is the science of power." Robert Dahl says, "politics is concerned with power, law and authority." Lasswell and Kaplan are of the opinion that "Political Science as an empirical inquiry is the study of shaping and sharing power."

It is the power that makes the state supreme within its territory and therefore politics is a continuous struggle for capturing and exercising power.

Q: Distinguish between power and authority.

Answer: Generally power and authority are considered to be one and the same, but actually it is not so. Following are the points of difference between the two:

1. Power is based upon force whereas authority is based upon the consent of other people. Authority needs no force or coercion.

2. Power can be legitimate and illegitimate also. But authority is always legitimate. Only legitimate power is called authority.

3. Power may or may not be accountable, but authority is associated with responsibility and is accountable.

4. Power can be exercised for personal interests, but authority is exercised for public welfare.

5. Power has no element of reason, but authority is based upon reason. There are always reasons for one's authority.

6. Power is the ability to influence the conduct of others whereas authority is the ability to gain the consent of others.

7. Power may or may not be democratic but authority is always democratic.

Q: What is the distinction between political science and politics?

Answer: Politics is concerned with current problems of the state and government, and the politics of one country is different from that of other countries. Political science on the other hand is concerned with theoretical politics. In political science or theoretical politics, we study the principles of the state, government, constitution, lawmaking, the different kinds of state, forms of government, theory regarding the composition of the organs of the government, different kinds of constitution, their merits and demerits, etc. But in politics, we study the present set-up of the state, government, constitution, legislature, executive, and judiciary, how they are working and their present merits and demerits, existing laws and their negative points, and the actual working of the political institutions. 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: Discuss the traditional meaning of political science. Give traditional definitions of political science.

Answer: Politics or political science has been derived from the Greek word "polis" which means City-States. In ancient Greece, there were a large number of small independent states which were called city-states. in course of time, these city-states were replaced by modern nation-states. Aristotle wrote his book "Politics" on the basis of his study on these city-states. Aristotle had called political science a 'master science' and had brought within its sphere the study of family, society and other social institutions also.

Following are the main traditional definitions of political science.

(a) It is the Study of State: 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."

According to Prof. garner, "Political science begins and ends with the state."

(b) It is the study of Government: According to John Seeley, "Political science investigates the phenomenon of government as Political economy deals with wealth, Biology with life, Algebra with numbers and Geometry with space and magnitude."

According to Dr Leacock, "Political science deals with the government."

(c) It is the study of State and Government: According to Gilchrist, "Political science deals with the general problems of the state and government."

According to Paul Janet, "Political science is that part of social science, which treats the foundations of the state and principles of government."

According to Gettel, "It (Political science) is thus a study of the state in its past, present and future of the political organisation and political functions, of political institutions and political theories."

Q: Differentiate between power and authority.

Answer: The differences between power and authority are as under:

1. Power is based upon force whereas authority is based upon the consent of the people.

2. Power can be legitimate and illegitimate, but authority is always legitimate.

3. Power may or may not be accountable, but authority is always accountable.

4. Power can be exercised for personal interest, but authority is always used for public welfare.

5. Power has no element of reason but authority is an embodiment of reason.

6. Power is the ability to influence the conduct of others whereas authority is the ability to gain the consent of others.

7. Power may or may not be democratic, but authority is always democratic.

Q: Define liberty and explain its elements.

Answer: The word 'Liberty' has been derived from the Latin word 'Liber' which means 'absence of restraints', Liberty actually means freedom to do what is desirable in society.

Various definitions of liberty have been given by scholars. Some of them are as under:

According to G.D.H. Cole, "Liberty is the freedom of the individual to express without external hindrance his personality."

According to Mc Kechnzie, "Freedom is not the absence of all restraints, but rather the substitution of rational ones for the irrational."

According to T.H. Green, "Liberty means the positive power of doing or enjoying something worth doing or worth enjoying."

According to Prof. Laski, "By liberty mean the eager maintenance of that atmosphere in which men have the opportunity to be at their best selves."

According to Herbert Spencer, " Liberty is the freedom of every man to do that which he wills, provided the infringes not the equal freedom of any other man."

From all the above definitions of liberty, it becomes clear that liberty does not mean absolute freedom or the absence of all checks on the activities of the individual. It means the freedom of a man to do all those things for the development of his personality, which is not against the interests of the society, which does not interfere with the similar freedom of others, which is not considered harmful in the society.

Elements of Liberty

From various definitions of liberty, we come to know of its following elements:

1. Liberty is not the absence of all restraints - When a man lives in a society, he has to follow the rules of the society. These rules are for the benefit of all and protect the life and property of the people.

2. Liberty is the putting of reasonable restrictions - Liberty means putting reasonable checks on the activities of the individual so that his actions may not be harmful to others.

3. Liberty is the maintenance of an atmosphere of development of personality of the individual - Liberty is that atmosphere in which the individual can realise his best self.

4. Liberty means power to do something worth doing - Liberty does not mean power to do everything, but it means the power to do that which is worth doing in the society, something which is considered good and desirable in the society.

5. Liberty is given to all alike - Liberty is not meant to give freedom to a particular person but it is given to all alike on an equal basis.

6. Liberty exists only in a state - Liberty exists and can be joyed only in society and state. It has to be enjoyed within the framework of the law. Liberty is defined by law, it is protected by law.

7. Liberty cannot be exercised against social good - Liberty has to be exercised or enjoyed by the individual in such a way that it does not cause harm to the society, to the nation, to the state.