Importance Of Political Science

The problem of categorising political science has been widely debated in the world of academia. However when assessing whether “political science” really is a “science” it is essential to focus on the attributes that define a “science” and whether political science fits into that category. Likewise, the differences between science and philosophy must also be analysed, in order to reach a conclusion of whether “political science” is a science, a philosophy, or whether it is an autonomous concept altogether. This will be done using the criterion of methodology. Whether political science falls under the category of “science” is dependent on the definition that is proposed for science, thus it is crucial to analyse its meaning. The study of science is characterised by empirical methods built on common sense, and focuses on existences and observations, as noted by

Moreover, when assessing the study of political science in terms of its methodology, political science as a science fails to convince. The reason behind this statement is that some characteristics of scientific study, as showcased by Jackson (1930), are its neutrality and individuality. In political science, it is expected that scholars put aside their values and moral judgments, in order to examine the ways in which the political world functions. However, this appears to be an idealistic idea that simply fails to convince due to the nature of human beings. Sartori (1973) argues that political decisions ‘are made by personnel located in political sites’ and that it is in ‘their political “nature”’. Thus, when taking into consideration Aristotle’s politicum animal, the theory that humans are able to neutrally assess political problems without considering their moral priorities is flawed and