Changes in the thinking of science are usually accompanied by
lively intellectual conflicts between opposing or divergent points
of view. The clash of ideas is a major ingredient in the
stimulation of the life of the mind in human culture. Such
arguments and counter-arguments, of proofs and disproofs, permit
changes in the arts and sciences to take place. Political science
is not exempt from these conflicts.
Since the middle of the twentieth century, the study of politics
has been rocked by disagreements over its scope, theories, and
methods. These disagreements were somewhat less frequent than in
most sciences, natural or behavioral, but they have been at times
bitter and persuasive. The subject matter of political
science--politics and all that is involved in politics--has a halo
effect. The stakes of politics make people fight and sometimes die
for what they claim as their due. Political scientists seem to
confuse academic with political stakes, behaving as if the
victories and defeats on the battleground of the intellect resemble
those on the battleground of political life.
Three issues seem critical to political science at the time this
volume first appeared in the 1960s: First, disagreement over the
nature of the knowledge of political things--is a science of
politics possible, or is the study of politics a matter of
philosophy? Second, controversy over the place of values in the
study of politics--a controversy that makes for a great deal of
confusion. Third, disagreements over the basic units of analysis in
the study of politics--should the political scientist study
individual and collective behavior, or limit the work to the study
of institutions and large-scale processes? This collection brings
together the most persuasive writings on these topics in the
mid-1960s.
General
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