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Should We Make Political Science More of a Science or More about Politics?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 June 2002

Rogers M. Smith
Rogers M. Smith
Affiliation:
University of Pennsylvania
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Abstract

To paraphrase slightly, I have been asked to focus on the apparent tensions between making genuinely scientific contributions by advancing knowledge in rigorous ways within specialized subfields, on the one hand, and addressing substantive political issues of general interest in accessible fashion, on the other. My view is that, though we should try to do both things, we should give priority to the latter—to helping both disciplinary and general public understandings of important substantive political issues become better informed and reasoned. To adopt this priority is still, I believe, to pursue the main tasks of political science as scientifically as possible; but it is true that this course involves significant tradeoffs.

Type
SYMPOSIUM
Information
PS: Political Science & Politics , Volume 35 , Issue 2 , June 2002 , pp. 199 - 201
Copyright
© 2002 by the American Political Science Association

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Footnotes

A modified version of these arguments appeared as Rogers M. Smith, “Putting the Substance Back in Political Science,” Chronicle of Higher Education Sec. 2: The Chronicle Review 48: B10–B11 (April 5, 2002).