Political Science

Module # 1
HISTORY AND THEORY OF A STATE

Lecture # 1, Political science -
why a discipline?
THE NATURE AND OBJECT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE
Political Science offers a multi-disciplinary and methodologically comprehensive theorisation for the most critical part of social relations, the Politics - all things concerning State, Power, Social Justice and Rule of Law.

Ultimately, Politics has vital connection to
- Philosophy
- Ethics
- Anthropology
- Jurisprudence
- Economics
- Natural Science (saying at least for environmental reasons, if not more)
This rational use of multidisciplinary approach provides a methodology which combines separate attitudes to the object and subject of Politics - descriptive of behaviour and descriptive of ‘Politics’ itself.

General objects of political science
Political relations
Political systems and institutions
Social groups and individuals (though are also agents of the political process).
Processes of Globalisation and Integration

The definition for the object of study of Political Science, put briefly is an evolving process of social relations in dynamic systems.
Relations social have twofold nature of experience -
one of household matters, another of outside matters - external and internal

Pericles, about Athenians: ‘We are free and tolerant in our private lives; but in public affairs we keep to the law’.
2. THE OBJECTIVE OF POLITICAL SCIENCE

So, if Politics is manipulative and focused on power and gives relevance to public over private, to national interest over that of individual and so on (with certain implications for the ‘Common Good’)
Political Science has an objective of critical and comprehensive understanding of the interference of public and private in society.

Put in historical perspective ‘Political science’ was a knowledge and general philosophy about ‘Politics’, the term has roots in Greek ‘Politica’ - an area of activity exclusively ascribed to the State and Government, and public affairs.

the subject of political science
‘Agency’ in Politics ensures the dynamism of political process, dialectically separating ‘poles’ of power.
Who has got ‘agency’?
Individuals
Identities
Classes
Social groups (minorities, majorities)
States, Political institutions
Ethnic groups
Religious and demographic groups, etc.

It is critical to note that all subjects, even those having only a small degree of agency have got their own private interests (relevantly political and economic interests)
Conflictual essence of relations.
“The ancients were well aware of the class nature of politics. Oligarchy was a conspiracy of the rich to rob the poor and democracy a conspiracy of the poor to rob the rich”. McClelland (2008).

Dialectics of social relations dictate constant change of political platform.
Theory of Recurrent circles:
Monarchies degenerate to Tyranny
Tyrannies are toppled down by Aristocracies
Aristocracies degenerate to Oligarchies exploiting population
Oligarchies are overthrown by Democracies
Democracies themselves become corrupted and degenerate into intolerable and unstable rule of mob

Political Science finds:
Ideas
Operative Structure and Component parts
Functions
Relations

Ideological
(Political Science creates and also expresses the views, ideas, ideals of certain classes and social groups)
FUNCTIONS OF POLITICAL SCIENCE

Methodological
(Methodological function of PS is to develop the theory and methodology of the study of political phenomena and processes, development of laws and categories of the science)
FUNCTIONS OF POLITICAL SCIENCE

Epistemological
(Epistemology – теория познания/гносеология) Epistemology - a study of the ‘knowledge’ as ‘justified true belief’, and of limits of knowledge.
FUNCTIONS OF POLITICAL SCIENCE

Regulatory
The regulatory function comes bare when it has definite implications for regulating the political process.
FUNCTIONS OF POLITICAL SCIENCE

Predictive (прогностическая)
Rational speculation with empirical data for acquiring of short and long term political forecasts
FUNCTIONS OF POLITICAL SCIENCE

Functions of Political science
Informative
Information about the nature of political power and its formation, politics and the political system, the subject of politics, political institutions, etc.

Goals of Political science:
ensuring the integrity and stability of a social community;
implementation of all relevant social need and claims;
mobilisation and efficiency of public activity;
management and regulation of certain social community;

rationalisation of conflicts, contradictions and alerts, civilised solutions;
just and equal representation of individual and group interests;
ensuring the experiences and skills in socially beneficent activism
Goals of Political science:

Political Science
Political science studies politics as an independent social discipline
Political science provides critical analysis of Politics in activist position toward Society
Political science covers the whole area of ​​political relations: ideational, systemic, and institutional

G.W.F. Hegel - The Philosophy of History
Norman Davies - Europe: A History (Part 1 and II - a two-week reading)
essential reading for the seminar 1 and II :
Aristotle - Treatise on Government - Book I - ch 1-2; Book II - ch. 1-2; Book III - ch 1.
McClelland (2008) A history of western political thought (Part 1)
G.W. Sheldon (2001) - Encyclopedia of Political Thought (Look for key concepts here, please use it as dictionary)
Minogue (2000) Politics - A very short introduction (1st chapter)
Spellman - A short history of western political thought - p.14-27
Balot - Greek political thought - Chapter 1 - Introduction
‘The Athenian Constitution’
REFERENCES

Questions, Seminar 1
- Characterise an ancient political order (Egypt, Greece and Rome of antiquity)
- What is ‘Common Good’?
- Bring examples of legitimate political orders of ancient time.

Questions, Seminar 1I
- Genesis and meaning of the concepts of ‘State’, ‘Power’, ‘Order’, and ‘Legitimacy’
- Democracy in Greece: Was it a democracy ‘for real’?
- What is ...? (say a few words about something related to politics of which you have become aware of recently during lectures and preparations, give ‘it’ an original description of your own)