TRADITIONAL AND MODERN VIEW ON POLITICS

 TRADITIONAL AND MODERN VIEW ON POLITICS

   Politics is an activity and a process through which human society revolves its political problems; the act of establishing coordination among opposing interests; an instrument of social, political and economic change. It is an activity that is practical, public and social. It is linked with the phenomena of conflict and cooperation: conflict because it arises out of opposing interests, diverse opinions; cooperation because it recognizes in achieving the goal through collective action. According to Hannah Arendt politics is ‘acting in concert’, a process through which conflicts are resolved, interest is reconciled, decisions are made.

  The nature and scope of politics have been continuously changing and developing with the passage of time. These changes and developments in politics can be classified into two parts:

I-Traditional view of politics

II-Modern view of politics

The traditional view of politics:

 Aristotle described that politics is concerned with the study of life in the Greek city-state which was called ‘polis’ in those times. Aristotle’s book described the nature and functions of city-states of his times which is titled as ‘politics’.

According to the traditional view, there is a clear distinction between politics and political science. As Pollock said that the theory of politics is political science and practice of politics is called politics. J.W Garner also described politics as the business and activity which has to do with the actual conduct of the affairs of the state.

Politics is concerned with the current problems and issued faced and handled by the government as well as the policies and laws of the government which is made to tackle these problems. Politics includes all activities which are actually undertaken by political groups and organizations, working in the state.

The tinkers supported the traditionalist view of politics are like Gettel, Bluntschil, paul Jannet

Garner, Pollock etc. 

The modern view of politics

The modern view makes no distinction between politics and political science. The traditional view of politics is criticized by modern thinkers as it is unscientific and unreal. Since political science studies politics, it can be therefore called politics.

Several modern political scientists decided to use the term politics instead of political science which is used for indicating all the political relations and interactions which take place in each society. They refused to accept the distinction between politics and political science because politics was an appropriate name for describing the study of all political relations, interactions and processes. Politics as a discipline of study covers all dimensions of politics i.e. the whole system of political relations and interactions that take place in every society. 

  In other words, modern political scientists defined the discipline of politics as the science of power or power relations in society. The institutions and structures like State, Government, Legislature, Executive, Judiciary, Bureaucracy, Police, Political Elites,  Political Parties, Interest Groups, Pressure Groups and all associations of the people which are directly or indirectly involved in the exercise of power in society are included in the scope of politics. Now Politics has replaced the traditional concept of state and scientifically study all structures, functions, and processes of politics.

Thinkers like Lasswell, Kaplan, Easton, Laski are the supporters of the modern view of politics.

  After studying both traditional and modern conceptualization of politics it has made clear that there are no real differences between politics and political science. Political Science studies Politics i.e. all political relations and interactions in society. Hence it can be called Politics.