Key Points Flashcards
Politics is usually predicated on the existence…
of competing interests and values in all societies of any complexity
For most commentators politics is inevitable precisely because…
all societies contain differences that have to be tackled in some way
The so-called ‘end of ideology’ thesis has also suggested…
that liberal democratic values have come to dominate throughout the world
This ‘end of ideology’ thesis seriously exaggerates the…
lack of ideological conflicts existing in the world and the pre-eminence of liberal democratic values
Assuming differences of values and interests, politics becomes…
a study of which values and interests come to dominate, who is responsible for these decisions, and with what justification
Defining politics is…
beset by boundary problems
Some argue that the boundaries of the political ought to be drawn…
narrowly, recognizing the state as the key political institution. Others argue that politics ought to be drawn far
Political analysis involves three main approaches:
Empirical, normative, and semantic
Theorizing normatively about politics remains difficult and often contentious. While recognizing this, it should be noted that…
one can exaggerate these difficulties, and a moral relativism is not inevitable consequence of political philosophy
In practice, these three forms of political analysis are not mutually exclusive. We need to know what is, before…
we can talk sensibly about what ought to be. Similarly, empirical analysis presupposes some normative assumptions
Empirical political analysis tends to use…
either inductive or deductive reasoning. The former can be illustrated by behaviouralism, the latter by rational choice theory.
Behaviouralists, in particular, suggest that politics…
can have the scientific rigour of the natural sciences.
Two challenges to this view were noted. In the first place…
ie cab question whether the methods of natural science can be transferred to a social science such as politics.
At a second, more fundamental, level, one can question whether…
the whole scientific enterprise, in both natural and social settings, is a valid and useful exercise.
