High School

In the 20th Century, the behavioralists and the post-behavioralists became the two dominant strains of Political Science. Which of these two strains of the discipline do you find more interesting and/or important? Why?

Answer :

Final answer:

Both behavioralists and post-behavioralists have contributed significantly to Political Science, but the former's empirical approach to understanding political behavior may be more compelling due to its methodological rigor.

Explanation:

The 20th Century saw the emergence of behavioralists and post-behavioralists as significant strains within Political Science. The behavioralists lean more towards the empirical study of political behavior, while post-behavioralists often critique this approach for neglecting broader societal factors and the substantive impact of political systems on society. While both offer substantial insights, the behavioralist tradition may be more intriguing due to its empirical rigor and attempts to describe, explain, predict, and sometimes change political behavior. This approach has parallels in various scientific disciplines, including psychology, economics, and biology, illustrating a diverse yet focused study on the directly observable actions of individuals in political environments. However, post-behavioralism's broader societal focus helps contextualize these behaviors within the larger political and social dynamics, reinforcing the importance of considering the implications of power distribution and societal influences when studying political systems.

Answer: In the 20th century, there were two main groups of political scientists: the behavioralists and the post-behavioralists.

The behavioralists believed in using scientific methods, like observing and experimenting, to study politics. They wanted to treat politics like a science and use data to understand how people behave and make political decisions. They focused on gathering information, analyzing patterns, and making predictions based on evidence.

On the other hand, the post-behavioralists thought that politics couldn't be fully understood using just scientific methods. They believed that politics is influenced by things like culture, values, and individual perspectives. They wanted to study not just the facts and numbers but also the ideas, history, and social structures that shape politics.

Both groups have contributed important ideas to political science. The behavioralists helped us learn more about how people act in politics by using scientific methods and data. The post-behavioralists reminded us that politics is more than just numbers and facts, and that we need to consider things like culture and history.

Which group is more interesting or important can depend on personal interests and the specific questions being studied. It's good to appreciate both perspectives because they give us different ways to understand and study politics.

Explanation: