Which of the following is/are traditional approach/approaches adopted by social scientists in understanding political science? I. More philosophical in nature. II. Insist on quantitative and inductive approach. Aim at making politics a scientific body of knowledge. III. Concentrates on formal apparatus of politics: government, institutions, constitutions etc.
Which of the following is/are traditional approach/approaches adopted by social scientists in understanding political science? I. More philosophical in nature. II. Insist on quantitative and inductive approach. Aim at making politics a scientific body of knowledge. III. Concentrates on formal apparatus of politics: government, institutions, constitutions etc. Correct Answer Both I and III
Though the approaches to understanding political science are classified differently, prominent classification of approaches to understanding political science is traditional and modern approaches have become quite dominant.
Key Points
Traditional approaches emerged from the contributions of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, and continued their dominance till the beginning of the nineteenth century. Modern approaches started in the 15th-16th centuries and became dominant in understanding political science in the twentieth century. Some of the common differences between traditional approaches and modern approaches are given below:
| Traditional Approach | Modern Approach |
| Define political science as the study of state and its governmental institutions | Define political science as the study of power and decision making of political behaviour |
| Concentrates on formal apparatus of politics: government, institutions, constitutions etc | See politics as an activity or a process service. |
| Defines political science as a subjective, theoretical and purpose-oriented task | Define political science as an objective, scientific and process-oriented task |
| More philosophical in nature | More analytic in nature |
| See political science as a non-observable and value-loaded subject | See political science as an observable and value-free subject |
| Prescriptive and normative. Aim at the achievement of a good society | Insist on a quantitative and inductive approach. Aim at making politics a scientific body of knowledge |
| Basically taxonomic and focus on institutions as the main instrument of social change and control | Focus on extra political factors and conditions which affect the behaviour of political events and institutes. |
Thus from the above-mentioned points, it is clear that both I and IIIare true.
