A Scientific Approach to Politics

Paper Summary:

The paper defines and discusses the meaning of the terms 'normative' and 'empirical' when applied to the study of politics. The paper explains the political context in which the terms are used and discusses which of the two approaches is the more scientific.

From the Paper:

"Firstly, the normative approach to Politics refers to the concern of the proper arrangement of power and authority within a society, in that it asks what should or ought to be the best use of power. In this sense, we can say that it is an approach based upon presupposed values of society's structure that are not set out to be validated or invalidated. We can also state that normative theory upholds the proper arrangement of power and authority based around these presupposed values. In essence, "...it shows how the institutions and political processes can be derived from and justified by the foundational assumptions." . Because of this moralistic approach to politics, the normative perspective is often described as being value driven."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Axford, B. et al. (2002). Politics: An Introduction. 2nd ed. Routledge: London.
• Heywood, A. (1999). Political Theory: An Introduction. 2nd ed. Palgrave: Basingstoke.
• Miller, D. et al. eds. (1983). The Nature of Political Theory. Oxford University Press: Oxford.
• Plamenatz, J. (1970). Ideology. 2nd ed. Macmillan: London.
• Plamenatz, J. (1963). Man and Society. Vol. 1. Longman: London.

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