The Discipline of Political

Science
Political Science is the study of political
revelations, behavior and activities as well
as systems of government from a
domestic, international and comparative
perspective.
The term politics is derived from the Greek
word politikos, which means “of, for or
relating to citizens,” or in Aristotelian terms,
“affairs of the cities.”
In the broader sense, politics is the
theory and practice of influencing other
people; in the narrow sense, it is the
theory or principle of organizing control or
governance over a people, community, or
state.
Development of Political
Science
The history of political thought can be
dated from the works of classical Greek
philosophers like Plato (380 BCE) and
Aristotle (4th BCE) as they made sense
of the shifting leadership landscape of
their time, the rise of city-states, and the
concept of democracy
Roman thinkers like Cicero and Marcus
Aurelius discoursed on the public life and
right within a state.

In Asia, scholars such as Chanakya (2nd

BCE, India) and Confucius (551 BCE,
China) were addressing the sociopolitical
division pervading in their societies by
discoursing on political unity and stability.
Classical Political Thinkers
Hammurabi
In 1754 BCE, Hammurabi, the
king of Babylon, provided a set of
laws (i.e., Code of Hammurabi)
that has been preserved in life-
sized clay and stele slabs. The
Code was discovered by
archaeologists in 1901 and is
currently on display at the Louvre
Museum.
Confucius
Confucius was an ancient
Chinese philosopher from the
Spring and Autumn period of
Chinese history. The principle
of zhengming or
rectification of names had
been the core of Confucius's
political philosophy.
Plato
Plato (c.428-c. 348) was an ancient
Greek Philosopher, Plato’s political
Philosophy was influenced by the idea
of a just state or republic.
In Plato’s Republic,people were divided
into three classes- the merchants, the
soldiers, and the philosopher-kings.
Aristotle

Aristotle (384 – 322 BCE) was

an ancient Greek
Philosopher and a student of
Plato. According to Aristotle,
self interest must give way to
the common interest in order
for a society to exist.
He made a distinction between the true
and despotic forms of government.
Monarchy (a society ruled by one),
aristocracy( a society ruled by few) and
polity (a society ruled by many) according
to Aristotle, are the true forms of
government while tyranny, oligarchy and
democracy are their despotic counterparts.
St. Augustine of Hippo
St. Augustine (354-430 CE) was an
early Christian theologian and
Philosopher. For him there are two
types of Cities: the earthly city, or the
one which deeply rooted in original sin
and man’s love for something other
than God; and the City of God, whose
citizen are mere pilgrims and whose
only desire is the love of God.
St. Thomas Aquinas
St. Thomas Aquinas(1225-1274), also
known as the “ Doctor Angelicus”, was
the most influential scholar and
theologian of scholastic tradition. His
political philosophy related human
nature, to the of that state.
St. Thomas considered reason as the
primary capacity of the human soul
and that reason governs both the acts
of man and his own body.
Niccolo Machiavelli
(1469-1527) was an Italian
historian, politician, and
Philosopher. During his time,
Italy was divided into
different kingdoms, and
states, including group of
histories
Political Thinkers
in the Age of
Enlightenment
During the 17th to 18th centuries, absolute
monarchy was the system of most governments
in Europe wherein rulers asserted that their
powers were derived from divine right.

Thomas Hobbes(1588-1679), a British

philosopher and one of the founding fathers of
modern political philosophy, argued in defense
of absolute monarchies in his work. The
Leviathan (1651)
John Locke (1632- 1704), an English Philosopher
known as the Father of Classical Liberalism,
argued that the rulers function is to protect the
rights of his or her people.

The French Philosopher Montesquieu(1689-

1755 argued for the decentralization of state
power on The Spirit of the laws(1748). He
proposed tripartite system of governance
divided into the executive, legislative and
Jean- Jacques Rousseau(1712-1778), a Swiss
philosopher, developed a social contract theory
that traced the origin of how societies were
formed.
He argued that people come together to form
societies for the common good. While personal
Interests(considered subordinate to the general
will.
 THE FIELDS OF
POLITICAL SCIENCE
Comparative Politics studies the differences and
similarities of the political systems of the world in
an empirical manner.

Political Philosophy is the root from which

political science sprouted from. The most notable
concepts in political philosophy include justice,
law, rights and government.
Public law focuses on the legal concerns between
the state and the people such as constitutional law
and administrative law.

KEY CONCEPTS IN POLITICAL SCIENCE

• Power
• Politics
• State