Mark Vincent A.

Tomas
2A – Pol Sci
Introduction to Political Theory

*Decision Making Analysis

-Decision-making analysis denotes an attempt to understand politics as a
process of arriving at decisions.
-it also serves as a choice or decisions in which it concludes different outcomes
in every decision.
-According to David Easton's original model of political system treats decisions
and actions as outputs of the political system. In this sense, this approach is
closely related to the concept of political system.
-As Vernon Van Dyke has illustrated that: Every Actor is a Decision-Maker
-Decision-making analysis can be applied to a wide range of situations involving
local, regional, national as well as international politics.

*Marxian Analysis
-Marxian analysis deals with a wide range of social phenomena their past,
present and future.
-Marxism – denies that politics is a persisting feature of every form of society.
-it also claims that politics, where it does exist, cannot be studied in isolation from
the rest of society.
-it starts with the distinction between base and superstructure, it is responsible
for creating and transforming its social structure.
-Marxism insist on an analysis of the economic structure of society.
2 antagonistic classes
1. Dominant Class
2. Dependent Class
*The Use of History
-History is the study of change over time, and it covers all aspects of human
society.
-The use of history for the study of politics may be considered in two important
contexts:
+history is used as a rich storehouse of data for an understanding and
interpretation of political phenomena.
+when history gives us not only an account of events but also cause-and-
effect relationships, or rather, laws of historical development.
-John Seeley 1834-95 “History without political science has no fruit, political
science without history has no root!”
-Edward August Freeman 1823-92 “History is past politics; politics is present
history.”
-Political Science Today is deeply concerned with the social economic foundation
of political phenomena.
-Political science cannot claim to evolve a foolproof theory unless it is
substantiated and verified by historical data, both in terms of rule and exception.
If political theory is derived from mere speculation, visionary perspective or
limited observation, it is bound to lack scientific precision and thus crumble.