Nature of Political Science

Nature of Political Science

Human being is a social animal. They prefer company to solitude. Humans are never self-sufficient and depend on fellow beings for the satisfaction of their diverse needs. So, they have always lived in social groups. They have been a part of the society with set rules of common behaviour. Such a society had to be properly organized with individuals to enforce rules and regulations and also their observance had to be ensured. The society thus organized is called the State, the rules that govern social conduct are the laws of the State and the individuals who enforce the same and ensure their observance is the government. Thus, Political Science deals with human being in relation to the State and government. It is the study of humans in the process of governing themselves.

Political Science is concerned with the theory and practice of politics. It describes and analyzes political systems and political behaviour. It traces the origin and development of State. It studies the associations and institutions related to the State. Political Science attempts to explain what men and women do in political situations. At the initial stages the discipline was closely aligned with subjects such as history and philosophy. The American Political Science Association founded in 1903 made efforts to separate the study of politics from other social sciences such as history and economics. At the later stages, when scientific approach became the order of the day it was aligned with disciplines such as psychology and anthropology. The behavioural revolution stressed on the need for a scientific and systematic analysis of individual and group behaviour. With the advent of Post-Behaviouralism, relevance to social problems along with political facts became the focus of Political Science.

ACTIVITY

Make a list of the important works of Plato and Aristotle.