In this article you will learn about the Difference Between Politics and Political Science.
Politics and Political Science
Politics is taken to mean the current affairs, issues and problems being faced by and handled by the government or authority of the State. Party Politics falls in the realm of Politics. “Politics involves all the activities that are actually being undertaken by the political groups and organisations particularly, the political parties.” Politics is concerned with the current issues and problems faced by the government as well as the politics and laws of the government which have been made to tackle these. J.W Garner suggests the view that Politics means the activity and business which has to do with the actual conduct of the affairs of the State. Likewise, many scholars also declare that politics is the conduct of public affairs.
Politics and Political Science have a sharp distinction between them. Political Science is considered as the science of State and Government. The study of state, government and other political organisations and institutions is defined as the scope of Political Science. Whereas, Politics means the current problems and issues faced by the government.
Pollock tries to clear out the distinction between Politics and political Science by dividing them into parts : Theoretical Politics and Applied Politics.
1. Theoretical Politics (Political Science) : Its scope includes sovereignty, theory of State, theory of government, theory of legislature, and the theory of state as a legal entity or as an artificial legal person.
2. Applied Politics (Politics) : Its scope includes the existing forms of government, the State as it exists, the government, parliamentary system, constitutional law and usages, navy, army, police, budget, currency and trade; laws and legislature, legislature procedures, courts of justice and their machinery, judicial precedents and authority; and diplomacy, peace and war, treaties, conventions, etc.
Points of Difference Between Politics and Political Science
- Politics is concerned with the day to day activities of the Government. Political Science seeks to study and explain the theory of the fundamental principles, nature, origin, scope and powers of the State and Government.
- Politics means the actual behaviour and conduct of politics i.e. those political activities that take place in society. As against it, Political Science is that social science which studies and deals with State and Government.
- Politics is a practical activity, whereas Political Science is an academic exercise involving the study of the State and Government.
- Politics differs from state to state and within each state from time to time but the principles of Political Science are universal. Politics of British and India is different but the theory of Political Science is very similar in both the countries.
- The difference between them is reflected by the fact that a politician can take part in politics without studying Political Science and a student of Political Science may or may not take part in Politics.
This article on Difference Between Politics and Political Science is contributed by Dipshikha Anand. If you like LawStudyPoint.com do follow us on our Twitter handle.