In Chapter One of “Theories and Methods in Political Science”, Sanders focuses on a central question of “why do people behave in the way they do?” In behavioral analysis, it is important to focus on observable behavior. Observable behavior is crucial because it centers in on why people do what they do, not what people think internally. Any explanation of this behavior is subject to empirical testing; meaning any actual experience is worth far more than a theory. Behaviorists have considered political participation (such as voting, protests, riots, and strikes), elite political behavior (a leaders view versus a leaders actions), collective behavior (special interest groups), and international relations (state actions).1 All these groups have specific experiences linked to them, making it easier to analyze the behavior. For example, behaviorists may look at the voting patterns among young adults across the country. By doing so, they will have a better representative statistic than a theory could have. Regarding elite political behavior, one may chose to look at what a leader stands for. Analyzing a President would start before they take office: seeing what the person says before they’re elected, and conclude at the end of a President’s term. What a behaviorist may notice is that the words did not match the actions. In the reading “Anarchy Is What States Make of It: The Social Construction of Power Politics”, the author states: “Actors do not have a "portfolio" of interests that they carry around independent of social context; instead, they define their interests in the process of defining situation.”2 What this means to me is that a leader doesn’t have a list of specific things they want to do or are going to do…instead, they mak...
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A longstanding debate in human history is what to do with power and what is the best way to rule. Who should have power, how should one rule, and what its purpose should government serve have always been questions at the fore in civilization, and more than once have sparked controversy and conflict. The essential elements of rule have placed the human need for order and structure against the human desire for freedom, and compromising between the two has never been easy. It is a question that is still considered and argued to this day. However, the argument has not rested solely with military powers or politicians, but philosophers as well. Two prominent voices in this debate are Plato and Machiavelli, both of whom had very different ideas of government's role in the lives of its people. For Plato, the essential service of government is to allow its citizens to live in their proper places and to do the things that they are best at. In short, Plato's government reinforces the need for order while giving the illusion of freedom. On the other hand, Machiavelli proposes that government's primary concern is to remain intact, thereby preserving stability for the people who live under it. The feature that both philosophers share is that they attempt to compromise between stability and freedom, and in the process admit that neither can be totally had.
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