Politcal science and other social science

Political Science and other Social Sciences

All social sciences are closely related to one another insofar as each influences the other and is influenced by the other. Political Science as a social science, deals with the political aspect of man’s social life. However, it is closely related to other social sciences such as History, Economics, Sociology, Psychology, Ethics, etc. In recent times, the study of social sciences has assumed an interdisciplinary character in the sense that the researchers and students of one specialized social science works in coordination with those of other specialized social sciences. 


Political Science and History
John Seeley once remarked that, “History without Political Science has no fruit and Political Science without History has no root.” Seeley might have exaggerated the relationship between the two yet there is an intimate relationship between the two social sciences and they borrow heavily from each other. Political science deals with state and institutions related with it which have their roots in history and in order to understand them fully one has to trace their historical evolution. History through its vast resources provides good scope for comparative analysis of political structures and institutions of different times to arrive at the best possible ideal. All political institutions such as State, Government, Legislature, Executive, and Judiciary have a history of evolution behind them. Without studying their history Political Science cannot really study their contemporary nature, position and relations among these.


Political science and Economics
The scholars of ancient Greece regarded economics as a sub-division of political science. Both political science and economics is concerned with the welfare of mankind and his relationship with society and hence Adam Smith, father of Economics regarded them as parts of the same subject. Harold Lasswell defined politics as the process of deciding who gets what, when and how? whereas economics deals with distribution of scarce resources deciding what to produce, how to produce and for whom to produce. These two definitions represent the intrinsic relationship between the two social sciences.


Political Science and Sociology
Sociology is the science which deals with human beings and their social relationship. Political science deals with the political activities of men in society. Political activities influence and are influenced by the social life of men. Political science studies state, government and power mostly while sociology provides sociological background to the forms of government, the nature of governmental organs, the laws and sphere of the state activities as determined by the social processes. As political science deals with state sociology also studies state as one of the human associations. The special study of the political life of society is very important for the complete study of the society as a whole. 


Political Science and Philosophy
Political philosophy is the study of fundamental questions about the state, government, politics, liberty, justice, property, rights, law and the enforcement of a legal code by authority. Philosophy has much to do with morality and formulates rules which should influence the behaviour of man while living in society. Thus, it is a science of moral order while political science is the science of political order. The term political philosophy often refers to a general view, or specific ethics, belief or attitude, about politics that do not necessarily belong to the technical discipline of philosophy. Political science and philosophy are interlinked.  

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