Different branches of knowledge solved light on man’s collective life. However, the domains of political science received special impacts since the time of Aristotle.
So him, “He who is unable to live in society, or who has no need because he is sufficient for himself, must be either a beast or God.” Perhaps that explains why he hailed Political Science to be a “Master Science.”
Political Theory occupies a place of preeminence in the domain of political science. Its development is closely intertwined with man’s quest for good life. Developments in the realm of science and technology helped in establishing new categories of knowledge which could stand the test of time.
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David Held:
“Political Theory generally aims to explain things coming out of political life.”
Andrew Hacker:
“Values and facts are embedded in Political Theory. They are dependent on each other.”
Karl Popper:
“Theory is like a net with the help of which one can catch the world to understand it.”
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Political theory deals with the conditions of collective life. It provides a system of rule to guide social relationship on one hand and studies the evolution, nature, necessity and purpose of government, on the other hand. It tries to relate them with human perception and nature.
As such it tries to evolve a framework for analyzing man’s political concerns and evolving mechanism to solve these problems.
It must be noted that most of the theories came out in the midst of crisis. Wherein they attempted to solve the problems however, in their quest to address immediate problems, they engage with perennial issues as well. They are not limited context bound. Instead their focus is often wide enough to cover the world at large.
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Thus, political theory is a generalized statement about political life. It outlines a conceptual framework by which knowledge is synthesized. Different theories have different sort of connection with the concepts.
As such, there arises difference in the kind of problem they think to be of more serious nature and consequently differences arise also in prescribing the remedies.
Hence, they enjoin both empirical and ethical statements. This has been best illustrated by A. Hacker; it is “dispassionate and disinterested.
As Science it describes political reality without trying to pass judgment on what is being depicted either implicitly or explicitly.
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As Philosophy, it prescribes rules of conduct which will secure the good life for all of society and not simply for “certain individuals or classes”.
Sabine identifies two phases when political theory reached its height:
1. Ancient Greek
2. Seventeenth Century England