In this collection of essays, eminent scholar Gabriel Almond
describes the ways in which the discipline of political science has
become divided against itself. "The various schools and sects of
political science," writes Almond, "now sit at separate tables,
each with its own conception of proper political science, but each
protecting some secret island of vulnerability." In his overview,
Almond examines the "hard" versus "soft" science approaches, as
applied by scholars of both the left and the right. In Part I, he
explores the history of model-fitting in communism studies, the
strengths and weaknesses of the rational choice movement, and the
historical forces and processes that have shaped political culture
theory. In Part II, Almond addresses the problem of the
transmission of methods and findings within the discipline. He
discusses the current emphasis on pluralism among political
theorists in Communist countries while a corresponding devaluation
of this concept is occurring in the West. He concludes with an
evaluation of the neo-statist movement and the evolution of
political development studies. With this book, Professor Almond
crowns a lifetime achievement, and makes final his case for the
study of political culture. "It is a most interesting book. For
what it's worth, I think this book will be a successful one. This
is not because of the talent and eminence of the author, but
because I think there are lots of political scientists who will
enjoy reading about these continuing struggles. In sum, I think the
book will be a hit." --Aaron Wildavsky, University of California,
Berkeley "Judged by the breadth of his professional knowledge and
the depth of his command of the literature, Gabriel A. Almond is
the most learned political scientist of today. In these wise and
erudite essays he provides careful documentation of where the
discipline is and what those who went before really said.
Hereafter, no graduate student should feel prepared for general
examinations in any field of political science without carefully
reading A Discipline Divided, and taking to heart its lesson that
getting the record straight is a necessary foundation for advancing
social science knowledge." --Lucian W. Pye, Massachusetts Institute
of Technology "Who better to provide a prospect and retrospect on
the social sciences than a 1938 University of Chicago Ph.D.; a
pupil of Frank Knight, Harold Lasswell, and G. H. Mead; and a
fellow graduate student with Herbert Simon, George Stigler, Edward
Shils, V.O. Key, and others? This book shows that he is still a
pioneer in the social sciences, and even prepared to explore ideas
that are nowadays fresh because they have been around so long that
they are forgotten. The result is a book that is of interest to
every social scientist." --Journal of Public Policy
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
