What is Politics?

Question 1

Politics (Standard)

Answer 1

The art and science of governing

Question 2

Politics (Post - Modern)

Answer 2

The construction of and resistance to power in society as a whole

Question 3

The Art of Justice - The Republic (Written by…/Beliefs)

Answer 3

Written by Plato, was about

1. How Politics ‘ought’ to be
2. The Purpose of Politics (To create justice)
3. What is the Just state?

Question 4

The Art of Power : The Prince (Written by…/Beliefs)

Answer 4

Written by Machiavelli in Medieval Times about

1. Analyze politics as they really are (struggle for power) rather than how they ‘ought’ to be
2. Purpose of politics is to ensure the power of the prince and maintain order
3. The virtu of the Prince must overcome the fortuna of politics

Question 5

Differences between Pre & Post Modern (2)

Answer 5

1. Science rather than Art of Governing

2. State and Citizens rather than Monarchs and Subjects

Question 6

John Locke (Author of…/Beliefs)

Answer 6

Author of : Two Treaties of Government (1689)
Locke pioneered the ideas of natural law, self preservation & liberty, religious toleration, and the right to revolution.

Question 7

Karl Marx (Creator of…/Beliefs)

Answer 7

Creator of Scientific Socialism (19th C)
Co-creator of Marxism
Believed that capitalism will collapse and be replaced by communism
Used the Deductive scientific method and discovered Laws of Capital

Question 8

John Locke’s Social Contact Theory

Answer 8

Persons have natural pre-social rights to life, liberty, and property, but a central authority, brought about through a social contract, is eventually necessary to better protect those rights

Question 9

Examples of Contemporary Scientific Approaches (3)

Answer 9

1. Discipline of ‘Political Science’
2. Behavioural Revolution (1960’s - today) (Behaviourism)
3. Contemporary: Empirical Political Science (Empirical Analysis)

Question 10

Communist Manisfesto

Answer 10

Written by Karl Marx and Freidrich Engels

The main argument in the Communist Manifesto is that creating one class of people would end the problem of continuous class struggles and cycles of revolution between the bourgeois and proletariat classes, which never lead to true reform

Question 11

Positivism

Answer 11

A philosophy developed by the French count of Saint-Simon. Positivists believed that social and economic problems could be solved by the application of the scientific method, leading to continuous progress. Popular in France and Latin America.

Question 12

Polis

Answer 12

The root of politics; translating to ‘city-state’

Relevant as politics were organized around the polis (city-state) of Athens

The ideal polis, for Plato, leads to the common good and is steered by the philosopher-king

Question 13

Plato

Answer 13

Author of The Republic, 380 BC

An art: politics as a branch of ethics, where morality must be applied: politics is ‘the highest calling

Function of politics is to create justice; thus, the ruler’s task is to rule for the common good

Politics are elitist: ideal ruler is the philosopher-king; the individual’s soul is divided in 3 parts: rationality, spirit and appetite that correspond, respectively, to 3 positions/classes in society: rulers, warrior, artisan

Political thought looks at how politics ‘ought to be

Question 14

Machiavelli

Answer 14

Author of The Prince, 1513

An art of POWER: The prince must manage Fortuna with his virtu (symbolized by river and dams and women and beating)

Purpose of politics is to ensure power to prince and maintain order; the ‘people’ will aways cause trouble;

Elitist

Requires dirty hands; the ends justify the means

Question 15

Modern Age & Tenets

Answer 15

Was between the 17th to 20th centuries and replaced medieval period.

General Aspects :
1. Individuals Paramount
Renee Descartes “I think, therefore I am”: Individual is paramount; reason/science over religion/philosophy in the search for universal laws; skepticism and doubt
-modernity historically begins with Enlightenment in 17th C

2. Belief in Science
   - Politics as science rather than art: discover universal laws; reductionism (small to big);
   - progress through science + tech: a LINEAR trajectory towards an end (dystopian/apocalyptic)
3. Development of Market
   Creation of government begins with contract/private property in 17th C
4. Idea of Progress
   State/citizen rather than monarch/subject: mutually constituent and dependent
   - progress as a way to move AWAY from traditional forms of gov’t and thinking

Question 16

Thomas Hobbes

Answer 16

Author of : The Leviathan, 1651
Believed that the only true and correct form of government was the absolute monarchy

Inspired by Galileo to apply deductive and COMPOSITIVE mathematical method to politics

Question 17

Leviathan: 1651

Answer 17

At the height of english civil war and of divine rule
-‘Bottom up’ view of politics; revolutionary at the time because it ignored the ‘divine right’

Glory, power, ambition as main forces acting upon people

Gov’t must adhere to THE LAW OF SELF-PRESERVATION: the ideal would be a monarchy
- Individuals are the body of state

Question 18

“Simile of the Cave”

Answer 18

Cave with prisoners/prisoners looking at shadows that look like forms/one wanders off beyond the cave and discovers the true Forms/goes back to inform but they don’t believe him and want to kill him

Question 19

“Fortuna”

Answer 19

Circumstances, luck that can threaten prince’s power

- Can be controlled by virtu (drive, talent, or ability directed toward the achievement of certain goals)

Question 20

Philosopher King

Answer 20

Plato’s ideal ruler; one that is well-versed in philosophy and knowledge; will not always want to rule

Question 21

Behaviourism

Answer 21

Behavioural revolution in 1950s, post-WW2; gained popularity in 60s
Stressed importance of scientific method in study of social phenomena

Objective measurements the goal; value-free

Assumes human behaviour is capable of being measured and that generalizations can be made from it

Question 22

Inductive Method & Drawbacks (3)

Answer 22

Sub-branch of empirical analysis
Associated with BEHAVIOURISM

Begin with empirical observations and draw explanatory generalizations from them (scientific inquiry)

Drawbacks:

1. Strong on empirical testing
2. Lacking in generation of theory; popper argues that theorists should test/falsify earlier studies;
3. Hypotheses generated are don’t identify causal links between generalizations

Question 23

Deductive Method & Drawback (1)

Answer 23

Sub-branch of empirical analysis

Associated with rational choice theories

Rational choice analysis important since 1970s; hypotheses deduced from certain fundamental assumptions about human behaviour and are tested against ‘real facts’

Assumes humans are rational, ‘utility maximizers’; best examples can be found in voting, party competition, interest group policies

Drawbacks: emphasis on assumptions

Question 24

Empirical Analysis

Answer 24

Empirical analysis is a type of research dedicated to the discovery of concrete, verifiable evidence. Guided by the scientific method, empirical analysis allows researchers to remove personal bias and instead use concrete, accurate and repeatable real-world evidence to draw conclusions
‘WHAT IS’ rather than ‘WHAT OUGHT TO BE’

Basis of natural sciences; positivist political analyst use empirical analysis

Comparative method: developing testable generalizations by comparing political phenomena across different political systems

Question 25

Semantic Analysis

Answer 25

Concerned with the meaning of the concepts we use, where they concepts came from, and why and how we use them