20 DEFINITIONS OF POLITICAL SCIENCE FROM DIFFERENT AUTHORS
INTRODUCTION
Political science is that branch of the social sciences that studies the state, politics, and government. Political Science deals extensively with the analysis of political systems, the theoretical and practical applications to politics, and the examination of political behavior. The Greek thinker, Aristotle, defined political science as the study of the state. Many political scientists view themselves as being engaged in fleshing out the connections between political events and conditions, and by this understanding they hope to construct a system of general principles that posit the way the world of politics works. Political science is not a standalone field and it intersects many other branches like sociology, economics, history, anthropology, public policy among others.
Political scientists are much sought after these days because of the changing landscape of politics across the world and since the society wants to understand how the political world works, they need someone to explain the nuances of the political economy. Any casual perusal of the newspapers and the television channels reveals that political scientists are at the forefront of debates and discussions for their knowledge and expertise.
20 Definitions of Political Science from Different Authors
- Van Dale’s dictionary: Political science goes beyond the politics carried out in a national parliament. It should be evident that politics can be defined in both a broad and narrow sense. Narrow: The politics carried out in a national parliament and a bit of foreign politics. Broad: All types of power relationships that exist in human interaction. Political scientists are specialized in power and different types of power relationships. Political scientists study politics in a broad sense of the word, because politics is everywhere.
Textbook: Van Dale’s dictionary 14th edition (2005): C.A. Den Boon & D Greeraerts pg3
http://www.ru.nl/politicalscience/political-science/what-political-0/
2. According to Seeley, “political science investigates the phenomena of government as political economy deals with wealth, Biology with life, algebra with numbers, and geometry with space and magnitude.
- R.N. Gilchrist, political science deals with general problems of the state and government. Pg23
- Jean Bodin(1530 – 1596) – A French political philosopher coined the term “Political Science”. Political science is a branch of social science. The study of Political science is of great significance and importance in the present day “Global village”.65
- Garner Political Science is the study of the state Political science begins and ends with the state. It may be defined as the study of man in the process of governing himself.pg9
- Catlin, politics means either activities of political life or the study of those activities, which are generally treated as activities of the various organs of government.pg30
7. Aristotle – Political science is the “Science of polis”.
Textbook: Politics by Aristotle pg. 3
- Gettle – defined Political science as a “Science of state”.
Textbook: From Oligarchy to Republicanism by Forrest Nabors pg7
- Harold Laswell: “Politics is the study of influence and the influential” or “the study of the shaping and sharing of power”
Textbook: The Federalist papers, by Alexis de Tocqueville pg5
- David Easton: “Politics is the authoritative allocation of values.”
Textbook: Marx, Capital, and the Madness of Economic Reason by David Harvey pg20
- Catlin: “Political Science is the study of the act of human and social control”.
The Origins of Political Order: From Prehuman Times to the French Revolution by Francis Fukuyama.
Textbook: Politics by Aristotle pg. 3
- Andrew Heywood: “Politics can be defined as an activity through which people make, preserve and amend the general rules under which they live.”
Textbook: A Social Revolution pg. 3 by Kevan Harris 6
- J.W. Garner: “Political Science begins and ends with the state”;”Politics is the study of State & Government”.
Textbook J. Gunnell, and L. Graziano Pg. 5.
- R.G. Gettel: “Political Science is the historical investigation of what the state has been, an analytical study of what the state is and a political, ethical discussion of what the state ought to be”.
- Leacock: “Political science deals with government only”.
Textbook: An Approach to the Analysis of Political Systems by C. Schelling. Pg 4.
- Paul Janet: “Political science is that part of the social science which treats the foundations of the state and the principles of government”.
Textbook: The Development of Political Science by J. Gunnell, and L. Graziano Pg. 5.
- According to the Department of Political Science University of Washington, Political science focuses on the theory and practice of government and politics at the local, state, national, and international levels. We are dedicated to developing understandings of institutions, practices, and relations that constitute public life and modes of inquiry that promote citizenship.
Textbook: https://www.polisci.washington.edu/what-political-science
- David Held has viewed that Political science relates to political activity, to power, to capacity of various agents and organisations. Hence any definition of political science must encompass all these components.
Textbook: Marx, Capital, and the Madness of Economic Reason by David Harvey pg20
Textbook: Basic Concepts in Political Science pg 3
- Nitisha 2015 in his article (Knowledge on Political Science) defined Political science is not only the study of government and state but also it is the application of empirical theory and scientific methods to the analysis of political matters.
Textbook:http://www.politicalsciencenotes.com
- Melissa Royle, Ron Woodman, & Evan Burt Political science is the study a range of political ideas, events, actions, and institutions. It includes both understanding and explaining the world of politics that is all around us.
Textbook: Political Science undergraduate handbook pg 2 , Memorial University, Newfoundland.
CONCLUSION
Finally, political science cannot be a standalone or isolated field as all branches of the social sciences purport to explain the larger questions concerning people and the state. Hence, there are symbiotic relationships between political science and other sub-disciplines of social sciences as they have common ground in their quest to understand how political systems work and how politics and governance play themselves out.
Political science is that branch of the social sciences that studies the state, politics, and government. Political Science deals extensively with the analysis of political systems, the theoretical and practical applications to politics, and the examination of political behavior. The Greek thinker, Aristotle, defined political science as the study of the state. Many political scientists view themselves as being engaged in fleshing out the connections between political events and conditions, and by this understanding they hope to construct a system of general principles that posit the way the world of politics works.
Political science is not a standalone field and it intersects many other branches like sociology, economics, history, anthropology, public policy among others. Political scientists are much sought after these days because of the changing landscape of politics across the world and since the society wants to understand how the political world works, they need someone to explain the nuances of the political economy. Any casual perusal of the newspapers and the television channels reveals that political scientists are at the forefront of debates and discussions for their knowledge and expertise.
Political science comprises numerous subfields, including comparative politics, political economy, international relations, political theory, public administration, public policy, and political methodology. Furthermore, political science is related to, and draws upon, the fields of economics, law, sociology, history, philosophy, geography, psychology, and anthropology.
Lawson Peter – Chief Editor in Projectvilla Nigeria. A writer and academic researcher.