Political Analysis and Political Philosophy

Paper Summary:

Political analysis and political philosophy are two human activities engaged in by men striving to know the world. The problems of political analysis and political philosophy rest on the problems concerning man's knowledge of the world. The paper shows that such knowledge is the result of attempts to describe, analyze, explain and interpret the actions and beliefs of men as they live in the real, material world. This essay presents an argument against that school which would draw a sharp distinction between two sorts of knowledge, each type being the result of a separate and distinct activity. According to this school, political analysis is concerned solely with the identification and description of political phenomena. The paper explains that the problems of political analysis are, thus, said to be "scientific" problems, directed towards the discovery of empirically testable scientific "laws". This essay shows that, despite its empirical orientation, political analysis is underpinned by a wider set of theoretical perspectives, such that analysis itself reflects elements of the observer's political philosophy. The paper concludes that political analysis and political philosophy are intimately connected; many of the "problems" are common to both. Each activity - analysis and philosophy - heightens the level of human knowledge.

From the Paper:

"What is presented to the political analyst is a mass of apparently chaotic social phenomena; what Heinrich Rickert calls "formless matter". The task of the political analyst is to structure and give order to that part of reality he has chosen to explain. Already we have recognized two crucial problems for political analysis. The first arises from the necessity of selecting specific areas of reality for study. I shall discuss later the way in which a certain limited range of "problems" present themselves for the political analyst's particular concern. The problem-field is limited in such a way that the possibilities for different accounts of politics is itself restricted. The task of political analysis is also complicated by the fact that knowledge of the world is not immediately attainable; understanding is mediated through mental constructions and elaborations (language, concepts and constructed arguments) of real, observable situations and events. Thus, Aron says of the methodology of science "all science is an elaboration or construction of formless matter" (2)."

More papers on Political Analysis and Political Philosophy:

• Analytical Essay # 140919 : "Confucius, Mozi, and Politics"
• Essay # 63777 : "Social Movements and Politics"
• Analytical Essay # 67446 : "Marxist Political Thought"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: