Reach at.minpakdoji@gmail.

com
Assistant Professor, Dept. of Political Science
Himalayan University, Jollang

UNIT 4
APPROACHES TO THE STUDY OF POLITICAL THEORY

In its traditional form, politics has been conceptualized as political science and political science stands defined as the science of state and government.

To begin with the father of political science, designated the science of state as politics. However, after a few years, its came to get the name political philosophy and then
political science.

Many scholars came forward to points out the difference between politics and political science. politics was defined by them as current politics or applied politics concerned
with the problems and issues faced by the government and political science as the science of state and government.

This view of politics as political science got the name Traditional view of politics when several modern political scientists got engaged in developing a new science of
politics because they rejected the concepts, methods, nature and scope of Traditional political science.

In traditional view of politics, a distinction is made between politics and political science and this distinction is considered good and clear.

Approaches to the political theory

In its traditional form political science depended upon history, law and philosophy for the study of the state and other political institutions. Historical approach, Legal approach,
Institutional approach and Philosophical approach constituted the four major approaches to its study. Along with these experimental method, comparative method, Observational
method and Analogical approaches were also used.

The political scientists used both deductive and inductive techniques foe describing and explaining the nature, functions and purpose of political institutions. It has a
historical, descriptive and prescriptive character with a dominant concern with values and goal.

It regards the normative questions: What should be? What ought to be? What is best etc as the essential and major part of political studies.

Traditional approach: The traditional approach to political science was widely prevalent till the outbreak of the Second World War. These approach were mainly related to the
traditional view of politics which emphasis the study of the state and the government.
 Therefore traditional approaches are primarily concerned with the study of the organization and activities of the state and principles and ideas which underline political
organisation and activities. These approaches were normative, empirical, semantic and idealistic. The Political thinkers advocating these approaches, therefore raised question like
“what should be an ideal state?

Thus, the advocates of the traditional approaches emphasis various norms – “what ought to be (what is desirable) or what should be than what is”

Various Forms Of Traditional Approaches: The traditional approaches can be sub – divide into the following-
1. Philosophical approach
2. Historical approach
3. Institutional approach
4. Legal approach

Philosophical approach: This approach is regarded as the oldest approach to the study of political science. The philosophical method is of a deductive kind. Its chief exponents are
Rousseau, Mill and Sedgwick. It begins with abstract concepts, then attempts to harmonize them with the actual facts of history. For Instance, Plato projects his imagination into
the future and on the basis of what he saw in Sparta and Athens, portrays a picture of an ideal state.
The chief danger of this method is that it may easily become imaginative and visionary as seen in More’s Utopia and to some extents in Plato’s Republic. It may not have
any basis whatever in historical facts and may thus sink into empty ideology.

The emergence of this approach can be trace back to the times of the Greek philosophers like Plato and Aristotle.
Leo Strauss was one of the main advocates of the philosophical approach. its advocates the study of state as the philosophy of state.

The great political contemplators, right from Plato to Leo Strauss and Eric Voegelin have been the followers of philosophical approach to the study of politics. Each of them
has been concerned with normative questions with the objective of presenting the scheme of an ideal or best state.

In contemporary years Leo Strauss has been the most ardent supporter of this approach. He holds that political theory and political philosophy are two parts of political
thought. The former (Political theory) is “the attempt to know truly both the nature of political things and the later (Political Philosophy) is “attempt to know truly both the nature of
political thing and he right and good of order.” Both are complementary to each other because it is impossible to understand thought and action or work without evaluating it.

Historical Approaches: Historical approach is one of the oldest approaches to the study of politics. It advocates the study of politics as history of state, government and other
political institutions. It justifies the study of past as a whole or in phases, as the best means to understand the present and for analyzing the future. For studying the history of state
and other political institutions this approach advocates the study of the socio - economic conditions and crisis of the past and the impacts they left on the minds of the great
thinkers.
For instance, by analyzing the conditions of the 17 th century and the ideas of Hobbes and Locke, the conditions of the 19 th century and the ideas of Mills and Marx, we can
analyses the nature and functions of the state in the past. This can also help us to understand the nature and explain the nature and role of the state of 20 th century.
 A proper study of history is a precious aid to the student of political science. The value of studying the origin, development of political institutions is the facts that from
such a study we can draw conclusions for the future guidance. History not only explains the past; its contains the key for interpreting the future.

The historical method is mainly inductive in character. It is based on observation and the study of historical facts. Yet indirectly the historical method does enable us to
judge the goodness and badness of actions.

Legal Approach: Legal Approach stands for the study of political science, in terms of the legal powers, functions and positions of governmental institutions. Since government are
established by law, these formulate, enforce and apply laws, it is essential for political science to concentrate upon the study of law and legal matters.

The legal approach, as Garner observes, “Treats the state primarily as an organisation for the creation and enforcement of law.” It is also emphasizes the facts that where the
citizens are law abiding, the knowledge of law provides a very important basis for predictions relating to political behavior of the people.”

As such, the legal approach emphasizes the study of constitutional laws, related concepts and processes for studying politics.

Institutional Approach: As the name itself specifies the institutional approach focuses upon the study of formal government institutions and structures like legislature, executive
and judiciary as the best way of studying government and politics. The roots of this approach extend to the Aristorian period, when the Aristotle describe and classified the
constitution of Greek city – states.

This approach advocates that political institutions must be clearly understood before studying their effects and working. The emphasis of this approach is almost exclusively
on the formal aspects of government and politics.
Demerits of Institutional approach; the drawbacks of this approach are:

a) It neglects the individual while overemphasizing the institutions.

b) It does not assign important to the international politics.
c) It fails to take into account the role of violence, political movements, agitations, revolutions and war.
d) It neglects the role of informal groups and processes in shaping politics.

In spite of these drawbacks, the institutional approach plays an important role in the study of politics as the institutions form an important part of politics.