Political science is the analysis, description, and prediction of political behavior, systems, and politics. It is a relatively recent discipline, mainly practiced in the US and UK, and considered a “soft” science. Political science courses prepare students for politics or give them awareness of the political process. Its antecedents date back to ancient civilizations, and The Prince by Machiavelli is a significant work in the field.
Political science is a branch of the social sciences practiced mainly in the United States and the United Kingdom. It is the analysis, description and prediction of political behavior, political systems and politics. Another way to describe this field is to call it “what politicians study in college.” Like the other social sciences, it is considered a “soft” science, in the sense that it revolves more around subjective interpretations than concrete data. Due to the complexity of human behavior when it comes to politics, it will be a long time before it can be anything else.
The goal of political science courses is to prepare students for a career in politics or to give them an awareness of the political process that might be useful in some other career. Politics is complicated, both in the rules and in the strategies to be used.
The field as a discipline is relatively recent, with the name appearing in America soon after the Civil War. The name spread quickly in the UK. While universities around the world have courses in politics, they tend to lack the scientific flavor of “political science” courses in particular.
Political science has clear antecedents dating back to ancient civilizations: moral philosophy, political philosophy, political economy, history and so on. Clearly, many of history’s leaders were aware of the pros and cons of politics, even though circumstances tended to be more chaotic and military prowess alone might be enough to gain control of a nation or empire. With the more recent establishment of stable states and the suppression of corruption, politicians have had greater incentives to work within the system as it stands, leading to this discipline.
One of the most influential works in the field is probably The Prince, written by the Italian diplomat Niccolò Machiavelli in 1513. The book proposes strategies for a leader to establish a strong empire in the face of various challenges. The main argument is that while a leader should appear publicly good and right, behind the scenes it might be worth taking underhanded actions to achieve political goals. This argument has also led to The Prince being one of the most controversial political books of all time.
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