Ex. 16. Read and translate the text

TEXT 4: CONCEPTS, MODELS AND THEORIES

Concepts, models and theories are tools of political analysis. However, as with most things in politics, the analytical tools must be used with care. First, let us consider concepts. A concept is a general idea about something, usually expressed in a single word or a short phrase. The concept of «presidency» refers not only to any specific president, but rather to a set of ideas about the organization of executive power.

What, then, is the value of concepts? Concepts are the tools with which we think, criticize, argue, explain and analyze. Concepts also help us to classify objects by recognizing that they have similar forms or similar properties. It is no exaggeration to say that our knowledge of the political world is built up through developing and refining concepts which help us make sense of that world. Concepts, in that sense, are the building blocks of human knowledge.

Models and theories are broader than concepts, they comprise a range of ideas rather than a single idea. A model is usually thought of

as a representation of something, usually on a smaller scale. In this sense, the purpose of the model is to resemble the original object as faithfully as possible. However, conceptual models need not in any way resemble an object. It would be absurd, for instance, to insist that a computer model of the economy should bear a physical resemblance to the economy itself. Rather, conceptual models are analytical tools. The simple point is that facts do not speak for themselves: they must be interpreted, and they must be organized. Models assist in the accomplishment of this task.

The terms 'theory' and 'model' are often used interchangeably in politics. Theories and models are both conceptual constructs used as tools of political analysis. However, strictly speaking a theory is a proposition. It offers a systematic explanation of a body of empirical data. In contrast, a model is merely an explanatory device; it is more like a hypothesis that has yet to be tested. In that sense, in politics, while theories can be said to be more or less 'true', models can only be said to be more or less 'useful'. Clearly, however, theories and models are often inter-linked: broad political theories may be explained in terms of a series of models. For example, the theory of pluralism encompasses a model of electoral competition, a model of group politics, and so on.

Ex. 17. Comment on:

'Man is by nature a political animal' (Aristotle, Politics 1).

Ex. 18. What do you think?

1. What are the definite features of Politics as an activity?

2. How has Politics been understood by various thinkers and traditions?

3. Does Politics take place within all social institutions or only in some?

4. What approaches to the studies of Politics as an academic discipline have been adopted?

5. Can the study of Politics be scientific?

6. What roles do concepts, models and theories play in political analysis?

Ex. 19. Translate into Russian, paying attention to the structure and language of the summary

SUMMARY

• Politics is the activity through which people make, preserve and amend the general rules under which they live. As such, it is an

 

essentially social activity, linked, on the one hand, to the existence of diversity and conflict, and on the other, to a willingness to cooperate and act collectively. Politics is better seen as a search for conflict resolution than as its achievement, as not all conflicts are, or can be resolved.

• Politics has been understood differently by different thinkers and within different traditions. Politics has been viewed as the art of government or as Svhat concerns the state', as the conduct and management of public affairs, as the resolution of conflict through debate and compromise, and as the production, distribution and use of resources in the course of social existence.

• There is considerable debate about the realm of the 'political'. Conventionally, politics has narrowly been seen as embracing institutions and actors operating in a 'public' sphere concerned with the collective organization of social existence.

• Concepts, models and theories are the tools of political analysis, providing building blocks of knowledge. However, they are only analytical devices.

Ex. 20. Questions for discussion:

1. If politics is essentially social, why is not all social activity political?

2. Why has politics so often carried negative associations?

3. How could you defend politics as a worthwhile and ennobling activity?

4. Is politics inevitable? Could politics ever be brought to an end?

5. Why has the idea of a science of politics been so attractive?

6. Is it possible to study politics objectively?

UNIT 2