The Philosophical Origins Of Systems Analysis In Political Science

In spite of the seeming heterogeneity of topics in its title - Revolutions, Systems, and Theories - this volume purports to be something more than a random collection of Essays in Political Philosophy. The Colloquium of the Philosophy Department of the University of Western Ontario (29-31 Octo ber, 1971) at which initial versions of the first eight papers were delivered was entitled 'Political Theory'; and while the organizers anticipated and indeed welcomed topicality in the issues accorded priority arid in the empirical evidence invoked, they were also hoping for a reasonably comprehensive explorat ion of some of the central issues of political philosophy. For this reason it was quickly decided that in such a field a philosophical focus on clarification of ordering concepts required the suppIement - and test - of researches into more particular subject maUers by social scientists. Thus, to speak in general terms (where the specializatlons and their taxonomies multi ply fissiparously!), contributors include political scientists, economists and sociologists (Barnard, Baston, Tullock, Rapoport) as well as philosophers (Scriven, Morgenbesser, Braybrooke, TayIor), and juxtaposed as proponents and commentators ·to generate exchanges across disciplinary frontiers. While the five additional invited papers are alI by professional philosophers, they extend the original Colloquium either by continuing controversy on its funda mental issues (e. g., Rubinoff, Nielsen, Roy) or by their continued explorations in what are acknowledged to be boundary areas (e. g., Schick, Wartofsky). The greatest topical emphasis is that on revolution.

A selection of essays by a pioneer in the application of systems theory to political analysis, Macropolitics develops the author's concern with the philosophical foundations of political science, and with the extension of philosophical principles into the realm of empirical analysis. For this volume, Kaplan has written a long essay on the philosophical foundations of his work, which constitutes one of his most important statements. He develops and explains within a philosophical context his contention that values can be treated in an empirically meaningful fashion. Organized to expand or illustrate the major points raised in this introduction, the essays that follow deal with such topics as the nature and utility of systems theory, empirical treatment of historical explanations, the systemic and psychological foundations of values, and empirical applications of systems theory in analyzing international political systems. Enlarging the dialogue between conflicting viewpoints, Kaplan exposes the common roots of Western scientific thought and Marxist philosophy, emphasizing that both status quo and revolutionary philosophies are one-sided. In his new introduction, Ira Sharkansky sees this as a truly groundbreaking work: "thanks in considerable part to the contributions of Professor Kaplan, international relations theory is a major component of political sciencei?1/2a milestone on our quest for understanding i?1/2 a distinguished part of the ongoing record." When the book first appeared, William Welch in the American Political Science Review called it "excellent: his weighing against the evidence of competing hypotheses is truly exemplary i?1/2 thorough, careful, fair-minded."

This original account of the role of philosophy and methodology in political science gets back to the basics of studying politics. Cutting through long-standing controversies across different theoretical camps within the discipline, Dowding provides an innovative and pluralistic argument for the benefits and drawbacks of different approaches. He offers an analysis of, and a counterbalance to, debates over causal explanation, defending a scientific realist perspective that is open to entirely different methods. Following an introduction to the major 'isms' of modern political science and international relations, the book takes an incisive look at the nature of explanations and generalizations, theory testing, mechanisms, causation, process tracing, interpretation and conceptual analysis. It enables students of political science methodologies and related disciplines to apply sharp analysis and in-depth philosophical understanding to their study of political events and structures. Concluding with chapters on normative political philosophy and the vocation of the political scientist, this is a thought-provoking and wide-ranging text that will make essential reading and will undoubtedly shape the field.

The SAGE Handbook of Political Science presents a major retrospective and prospective overview of the discipline. Comprising three volumes of contributions from expert authors from around the world, the handbook aims to frame, assess and synthesize research in the field, helping to define and identify its current and future developments. It does so from a truly global and cross-area perspective Chapters cover a broad range of aspects, from providing a general introduction to exploring important subfields within the discipline. Each chapter is designed to provide a state-of-the-art and comprehensive overview of the topic by incorporating cross-cutting global, interdisciplinary, and, where this applies, gender perspectives. The Handbook is arranged over seven core thematic sections: Part 1: Political Theory Part 2: Methods Part 3: Political Sociology Part 4: Comparative Politics Part 5: Public Policies and Administration Part 6: International Relations Part 7: Major Challenges for Politics and Political Science in the 21st Century

A John Hope Franklin Center Book.

Complementary and mutually reinforcing, political science and political philosophy lie at the heart of the study of governance. The concept of how government could or should operate in the abstract is the province of political philosophy, while political science concerns itself with the concrete. Readers will chronicle the history and development of both fields and introduces readers to the major thinkers—including Aristotle, Machiavelli, and Weber—whose works have informed the study of politics the world over.