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POL 211 Lecture 1 10dec16

Political theory explaining more about human nature

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108 views13 pages

POL 211 Lecture 1 10dec16

Political theory explaining more about human nature

Uploaded by

bookerchitengo
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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POL 211

INTRODUCTION TO POLITICAL
THEORY

LECTURE 1- Political theory and the study of Political


Science

10 February 2016

Boni Dulani
Introduction: Politics and
Political Theory
Politics is one of the oldest academic
disciplines
In ancient Greece, political
philosophers studied the use of power
The primary concern then was:
◦ Creating a good society
◦ Balancing the pursuit of power with
justice and order
◦ What is the purpose of government?
◦ Boundaries between the individual and
government
Fields of Political Science

Comparative
Politics and Area
Science studies
Political
International
Relations
Political
Methodology

Political Theory
Sub fields of Political Science
 Comparative Politics and Area Studies
◦ Specializes in comparison –(governments, institutions,
legislatures, political party systems, judicial systems
etc). Different regions of the world—Africa, East Asia,
South East Asia, Middle East-may also be studied
intensively
 International Relations
◦ concerned with the causes and effects of interactions
among governments, as well with the
influence of international institutions, national
governments and non-state actors on global governance
 Political Methodology
◦ studies the methods used to study politics. It combines
statistics, maths, empirical techniques, and formal
theory. Political methodology is often used
for positive research, in contrast to normative research

 Political Theory
Political Theory/Philosophy
 Political Theory engages in the rational
scrutiny and moral assessment of
political behavior, expectations, and
experience from a broad variety of
perspectives.
 Political Theory is largely normative and
prescriptive
 Subfields include: global and
comparative political theory, the history
of political thought, democratic theory,
feminist theory, the philosophy of social
science, contemporary political
philosophy, the history and theory of 5
Political Theory
 Concerned with the body of ideas expressed by political
philosophers / thinkers who have asked not only how
politics work but how it should work

 Thesephilosophers have been concerned with the


nature and justification of political obligation and
authority and the goals of political action.

 Although their prescriptions have varied, and some have


been utopian in concept, they have shared the conviction
that it is the political philosopher's duty to
distinguish between a good and bad society

 Political
Theory is thus preoccupied with essentially
ethnical and prescriptive values (ie, normative
questions reflecting what should or ought to be brought
about.
Political Theory and Evidence
The goal of political theory/ philosophy
is to uncover the principles upon
which human society should be
based.
◦ The central concern of political theorists
throughout history has been the theory of the
state
◦ What makes government interference in our
lives legitimate?
◦ What are/should the limits of government
interference in our lives?
Focus of Political theory
PT seeks knowledge concerning:

 Human conflict – the nature and the causes

 The pursuit of power – the capacity to make others do


our bidding

 The best or best possible cooperative social


arrangements, capable of resolving or diminishing
society’s common problems

 The moral foundations of political legitimacy,


liberty, equality, justice, and human rights

 Who should govern – one, few, or many?

 The state and its nature, proper purpose, and limits.


Dimensions of Political
Theory
The descriptive dimension of
political philosophy addresses
factual conditions.

The prescriptive or normative


dimension of political philosophy
prescribes what ought to be.
Approaches in Political Theory

History of Political Thought: Focuses


on major philosophical thinkers and texts
v
Literary Analysis: primarily interested
in examining what major thinkers said
and how they justified their views
Studying Political

Theory/Philosophy
The biographical, intellectual, and historical
context of the political philosopher

Worldview and method of investigation: the


theological, ontological, epistemological,
and ethical foundations of the political
philosopher’s view of religion, reality,
knowledge and moral norms

The philosopher’s view about the nature of


politics and the role of the state
Criteria for evaluating a Political Thinker:
be critical
How intelligible is the political
thinker?

Isthe thinker’s reason sound and


valid?

Isreason capable of guiding us or


are we prisoners of our passions?

Engage in dialogue to find truth.


Key Topic to be covered in POL
211
 The State and the individual
 Liberty
 Equality
 Justice
 Democracy
 Political Ideologies
 Human rights

 Wewill use class lectures, debates and video


documentaries as our mode of learning.

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