EN407-313English for Political Scientists

Ven.Yota PayuttoDepartment of Public Administration

Mahachulalongkornrajavidhyalaya University Academic Service Center: Faculty of Social Science

Wat Raikhing, Sampran , NakhonpathomThailand

There will be no end to the troubles of states, or of humanity itself, till philosophers become kings in this

world, or till those we now call kings and rulers really and truly

become philosophers, and political power and philosophy thus come

into the same hands. 

Plátōn/Plato428/427 BC– 348/347 BC

Man is by nature a political animal.Politicians also have no leisure, because

they are always aiming at something beyond political life itself, power and

glory, or happiness. The most perfect political community is

one in which the middle class is in control, and outnumbers both of the

other classes.

Aristotélēs/Aristotle (384 BC – 322 BC)

An empty stomach is not a good political advisor.

Albert Einstein 14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955

Political philosophy is the study of such topics as politics, liberty, justice, property, rights, laws , and the enforcement of a legal code by authority: what they are, why (or even if) they are needed, what, if anything, makes a government legitimate, what rights and freedoms it should protect and why, what form it should take and why, what the law is, and what duties citizens owe to a legitimate government, if any, and when it may be legitimately overthrown, if ever.

In a vernacular or local sense, the term "political philosophy" often refers to a general view, or specific ethic, political belief or attitude, about politics that does not necessarily belong to the technical discipline of philosophy.

In short, political philosophy is the activity, as with all philosophy, whereby the conceptual apparatus behind such concepts as aforementioned are analyzed, in their history, intent, evolution and the like.

Jean Hampton. (1997, p. xiii [2009]).

Politics  ( politikos (GK) meaning "of, for, or relating to citizens"),

It is the practice and theory of influencing other people on a civic or individual level. More narrowly, it refers to achieving and exercising positions of governance — organized control over a human community, particularly a state.

A variety of methods is employed in politics, which include promoting its own political views among people, negotiation with other political subjects, making laws, and exercising force, including warfare against adversaries.

Politics is exercised on a wide range of social levels, from clans and tribes of traditional societies, through modern local government, companies, and institutions up to sovereign states (รั�ฏฐาธิ�ปัตย์�) to international level. 

Jean Hampton. (1997, p. xiii [2009]).

Political SciencePolitical Science is a social science discipline (society and the relationships of individuals within a society)concerned with the study of the state, nation, government, and politics and policies of government. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state, i.e. (it es) political theory, comparative politics, public administration, international relations and public law.

Political scientists study matters concerning the allocation and transfer of power in decision-making, the roles and systems of governance including governments, international organization, political behavior and public policies.

Political scientists study matters concerning the allocation and transfer of power in decision-making, the roles and systems of governance including governments, international organization, political behavior and public policies.

Political Thoughts

Comparative Politics

International Relations

International Relations deal with the interaction between nation-states as well as intergovernmental and transnational organizations.

Public Laws

The Roman goddess of Justice, who is

equivalent to the Greek goddesses, Themis and

Dike

The Roman goddess of Justice, who is

equivalent to the Greek goddesses, Themis and

Dike

Political Science Approaches -1Political Science Approaches include positivism,

interpretivism/anti-positivism, rational choice theory, behavioralism, structuralism, post-structuralism, realism, institutionalism and pluralism

• Positivism holds that knowledge is gained from empiricism

and the scientific method: experiments and statistical surveys (ปัฏ�ฐานน�ย์ม ความรั� �สู�งสู�ดค�อความรั� �ได�มาจากความรั� �เชิ�ง–ปัรัะจ�กษ์� / ความรั� �เชิ�งปัรัะสูบการัณ์� และกรัะบวนการัทางว�ทย์าศาสูตรั� เชิ'นจากการัทดลองและจากการัสู(ารัวจเชิ�งสูถิ�ต�)

• Interpretivism = antipositivism

• Rational Choice Theory seeking the most cost-effective means to achieve a specific goal without reflecting on the worthiness of that goal (ทฤษ์ฎี,ค�ดก'อนท(า- มองหาปัจจ�ย์ท,.ค��มท�นท,.สู�ดเพื่�.อบรัรัล�เปั0าหมาย์เฉพื่าะอย์'างโดย์ไม'สูนใจความค��มค'าหรั�อไม'ค�มค'าของเปั0าหมาย์ด�งกล'าว)

Political Science Approaches -2• Behavioralism seeks to examine the behaviour, actions, and acts

of individuals – rather than the characteristics of institutions such as legislatures, executives, and judiciaries – and groups in different social settings and explain this behaviour as it relates to the political system พฤติ�กรรมนิ�ยม ตรัวจสูอบพื่ฤต�กรัรัม ความปัรัะพื่ฤต� –และการักรัะท(า/พื่ฤต�การัณ์�ของต�วบ�คคลและของกล�'มตามสูภาพื่แวดล�อมทางสู�งคมพื่รั�อมก�บอธิ�บาย์ด�วย์ว'าพื่ฤต�กรัรัมด�งกล'าวเก,.ย์วข�องก�บรัะบบการัเม�องได�อย์'างไรั มากกว'าตรัวจสูอบและอรัรัถิาธิ�บาย์ล�กษ์ณ์ะเฉพื่าะของสูถิาบ�นหรั�อของพื่รัรัค เชิ'นฝ่7าย์น�ต�บ�ญญ�ต� ฝ่7าย์บรั�หารัและฝ่7าย์ต�ลาการั

• Structuralism - It works to uncover the structures that underlie all the things that humans do, think, perceive, and feel. (โครงสร�างนิ�ยม เปั9นการั–ต,แผ่'โครังสูรั�างท,.อย์�'เบ�;องหล�งพื่ฤต�กรัรัม การัค�ด และความรั� �สู<กของมน�ษ์ย์�)

• Poststructuralism - views the descriptive premise of structuralism as contradicted by reliance on borrowed concepts or differential terms and categories and sees inquiry as inevitably shaped by discursive and interpretive practice (เห=นว'าปัรัะเด=นเอกของโครังสูรั�างน�ย์มเชิ�.อไม'ได�หากหย์�บย์�มจากแนวค�ดอ�.นหรั�อใชิ�ค(าน�ย์ามอ�.นและจากกล�'มอ�.น ท�;งย์�งเน�นว'าการัสูอบสูวนจ(าเปั9นต�องเปั9นว�ธิ,การัเชิ�งอ�อมและเชิ�งต,ความ)

Political Science Approaches -3• Realism – the view that world politics are driven by competitive self-

interest and a jurisprudence emphasizing the substantive results of the law ( ส�จนิ�ยม เชิ�.อว'าการัแข'งข�นเพื่�.อผ่ลก(าไรัสู'วนต�วเปั9นต�วข�บเคล�.อนการัเม�องโลก และปัรั�ชิญาทางกฎีหมาย์ให�ความสู(าค�ญก�บผ่ลทางกฎีหมาย์)

• Institutionalism in political parties is an approach that sees political parties as having some capacities for adaptation, but also sees them as being "prisoners of their own history as an institution“ while institutionalism in international relation is a group of differing theories on international relations, which have in common their focus on the social and organizational orders, mechanisms and structures of the international system (สถาบั�นินิ�ยม ค�อแนวทางว�จ�ย์ท,.มองว'าพื่รัรัคการัเม�องไม'เพื่,ย์งปัรั�บต�วได�เท'าน�;นย์�งพื่บว'าพื่รัรัคการัเม�องในฐานสูถิาบ�นตกเปั9นน�กโทษ์ก�บปัรัะว�ต�ศาสูตรั�ของตน สู'วนในแง'การัสู�มพื่�นธิ�รัะหว'างปัรัะเทศน�;นเน�นเรั�.องรัะบอบสู�งคม รัะบอบองค�กรัม กลไกทางการัเม�องและโครังสูรั�างรัะบบสูากล

• Pluralism is how power and influence is distributed in a political process. Groups of individuals try to maximize their interests. Lines of conflict are multiple and shifting as power is a continuous bargaining process between competing groups. (พหุ�นิ�ยม-ค�อการักรัะจาย์อ(านาจและอ�ทธิ�พื่ลในกรัะบวนการัทางการัเม�องซึ่<.งกล�'มบ�คคลต'างๆ (ม��งการัเม�องต'างๆ)ด�;นรันท,.จะสูรั�างก(าไรัให�ตนเองมากท,.สู�ด แนวทางความข�ดแย์�งย์'อมเพื่�.มทว,ค�ณ์พื่รั�อมการัเปัล,.ย์นข�;วเม�.อม,กรัะบวนการัต'อรัองทางอ(านาจจากกล�'มท,.แข'งข�นก�นล'าอ(านาจ

Political ScientistsPolitical scientists study matters concerning • allocation and transfer of power in

decision making, • the roles and systems of governance

including government and international organizations, political behavior and public policies

• measure the success of governance and specific policies by examining many factors, including stability, justice, material wealth and peace

• provide the frameworks from which journalists, special interest groups, politicians, and the electorate analyze issues.

Modern and Current Political Science

Modern and Current Political Science

is essentially a study of human behavior, in all aspects of politics, observations in controlled environments are often challenging to reproduce or duplicate, though experimental methods.

Graduates in Political Science

• Most Political Scientists work broadly in one or more of the following five areas:– Comparative politics– International Relations– Political Philosophy– Public Administration– Public Law

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