Political science is a field of study characterized by a search for critical understanding of (1) the good political life, (2) significant empirical observations, and (3) wise political policy judgments. Political science is thus concerned with the search for meaningful knowledge of the interrelated ethical, empirical, and prudential components of that community concerned with the public life.
The three major components of political science are:
- Ethical. The main focus is political values. The main question is: What ought to be? The foundation is philosophy.
- Empirical. The main focus is political phenomena. The main question is: What Is (what has been, what will be)? The foundation is science.
- Prudential. The main focus is political judgment. The main question is: What can be? The foundation is public policy.
The four major tasks of political science are:
- To recommend what actions leaders of state, citizens, and all other involved in politics ought to take (ethical recommendation).
- To understand how political actors carry out their business (empirical understanding).
- To provide sensible guidance in political life (prudential judgment).
- To appreciate how the ethical, empirical, and prudential components interrelate in a unified and coherent discipline (theoretical integration).
—September 2020
Lance Jones 