Meaning and Definition of Political Science

• When you are going to start the study of Political Science, the first thing you should know the meaning nature, and scope of political science. Here I have explained each and every part of your query. 
• Human knowledge is basically divided into two extensive categories. One is Natural Science and the other one is Social Science. 
• Natural science deals with the physical world such as land, weather, water, forests, etc, whereas social science deals with the human being, their collective social life, and activities. 

Humans have a multidimensional social life such as economic, political, historical, sociological, etc. 

What is Political Science?

Political science is a part of the social science which deals with the political problems of human beings and the subject matter of political science are political institutions (State, Government, Judiciary, Parliament, Pressure groups, Political Party, etc.), Political behavior, and activities of human, etc. It is also related to other social science subjects like history, sociology, philosophy, economics, etc.  

Meaning and Definition of Political Science 

• Political science is the combination of two words one is Political and another one is science. 
• Political refers to power and authority. That is, everything related to power and authority is political. For example, all institutions (State, Government, Judiciary, Parliament, Pressure groups, Political Party, etc) and actions of humans related to power are subject to politics. 
• The English word ‘Science’ comes from the Latin word ‘Scientia’, which means knowledge which is acquired by systematic study. 
• So It means a systematic study of political institutions, the political behavior of human beings, political systems, international relations, and all the issues related to power and authority. 
• The famous Greek philosopher Aristotle said that “Man is by nature a political animal…he who is unable to live in a society or who has no need because he is sufficient for himself, must be either a beast or God”. 
• He is considered as the father of political science because he is the first person who has defined politics using scientific methods. 
• The definition of political science is determined by the scope of its field of discussion. The scope of political science has been discussed in the last part of the writing. 
• The problems of people’s political life are increasing. As time has passed, people’s political thinking has developed more and more. 
• As a result, the number and variety of definitions of political science are increasing exponentially. There is no universal definition in any social science subject. Since it as a part of social science is also a dynamic science, so its definition is also dynamic. 
• There are two views to define political science. One is Traditional View and the other one is the Modern view. 
• Traditional Definition of Political Science 
• All the concepts of political science before the nineteenth century belong to the traditional view. And the entire political scientists at that time is called as traditional political scientists. 
• According to traditional political scientists, it deals with the state, Government, and other political institutions. 
• An American Professor Garner once said that ‘political science begins and ends with the state’.  In his view, political science is the social science that determines some formula about the origin and form of the state, the shape, nature, and history of political institutions, and political progress and development. 
• So in traditional view it discusses the origin, nature, ideals, and goals, of the state. 

Some Definitions by Different Authors of the Traditional View

• R.G Gettel: Political science is a historical investigation of what the state has been, an analytical study of what the state is, and a politico-ethical discussion of what the state should be. 
• John Robert Seeley : Political Science investigates the phenomena of the government as political economy deals with wealth, biology with life, algebra with numbers, and geometry with space and magnitude
• Paul Janet: Political Science is that part of the social science which treats of the foundations of the sate and principles of the government
• Garies : Political science deals with the origin, development, purpose, and all political problems of the states.
• Lord Acton: Political science is concerned with the state and with conditions essential for its development.

If you read the above definitions of traditional political scientists carefully then you have noticed that every definition of political science is concentrated with state and government. 

So it is clear that in the traditional view, the field of discussion of political science was confined to the state and the government. 

Modern Definition of Political Science

• The flow of international events now has a profound effect on individual and national life. For this reason, state activity cannot be neutral to the flow of international events and international customs. 
• The social and political relations of the socialized people, the relations of the state with the individual under the state, the relations of the social institution with the individual, and the interrelationships between different states, etc. are included in the modern view of political science. 
• The modern view of political science refers to the view of political scientists who emerges at the beginning of the twentieth century. 
• According to the modern political scientists like George Catlin, Charles Marriam, Almond, Powell, David Easton, political science not only deals with state and government. 
• It has a broader area which also deals with individual’s political behavior, Political Power, Society, Political Culture, Political Socialization, International Laws, and International Relations, Political systems, Political Process, and other political groups. 

Some Definitions by Different Authors of the Modern View

• Lasswell: Politics is the study of Influence and the influential
• Laski: Political Science concern itself with the life of men in relation to organized state
• David Easton: defines political science as an Authoritative allocation of values. He has not seen it as a discussion of state institutions but presents this as a discussion of political system or process. 
• Max Weber: Politics is the struggle for power or the influencing of those power. 

Acceptable Definition of Political science

As I said, there is no universal definition of it. But from the discussion of the traditional and modern view of political science, it could have an acceptable definition. 

Political science is a part of social science in which the philosophical, organizational, administrative context of the state and politics, the context of national and international, legal and organizational relations, and the comparative context of multiple political systems are scientifically discussed and reviewed. 

After completion Meaning and definition of our topic “meaning nature and scope of political science“, now its time for Nature of Political Science.