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INTRODUCTION TO POLITICAL SCIENCE

 Political science is the study of how organized disputes are articulated and then resolved
by the public decisions made by governments.
 Jean Bodin (1570-1596) – invented the term political science- which he defined as the
study of sovereignty, the functions of governments, and the institution that make law.
 Political science belongs to social sciences (,geography, history, psycology, sociology,
anthropology, economics, communications and political science) – the study of human
behavior.
GREEK AND ROMAN POLITICAL THOUGHT
 The word politics derived from the Greek word “polis” which means city state.
 Aristotle’s Politics – he believed that political systems evolve as natural social organisms
from the desire to seek moral perfection.
 Plato – he believed that justice would constitute ideal harmony for individuals and also
the state. He conceived of a just society. The ideal state he said would be ruled by
philosopher king who were imbued with wisdom.
 He too believed that the state and society is an organic whole – the component parts
were specialized, the organs of the body had roles which contribute to the well-being of
the whole.
 Timocracies – were ruled by property-owning ambitious men on search for honor.
 Oligarchies – were ruled by people who sought only wealth.
 After the fall of the Greek City-State, the Roman Empire dominated the western world
and individuals such as Cicero contributed advances in law and public administration to
the study of government.
WESTERN POLITICAL THOUGHT
 The first European States coexisted with the Church
 Kings used the influence of the church to strengthen their own positions, they adopted
the concept of Divine Rule, portraying themselves as vicars of Christ with absolute
Divine authority.
 Church and state were fused
 The sixteenth century brought the years of reformation, when Martin Luther challenge
the authority of the Roman Catholic Church and the supremacy of the pope.
 By the late seventh century – there are many debates about the exercise of state
power. This period of history sometimes called the age of reason, produce several great
political thinkers.
 Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) – was an English Philosopher; he advocated absolute
government based on a social contract which would bind all citizens under a sovereign
who would protect them from their own selfishness. A state is necessary in order to
maintain order and stability.
 John Locke (1632-1704) English philosopher who advocated that the state should be
limited and accountable so that people generally could be free to think and act as they
wished.
 Jean Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) – “Man is born free and everywhere he is in chains”
in other words man is born innocent but was corrupted by society.

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