Understanding the Traditional View of Political Science: Focus on the State

The question asks about the primary focus of political science according to the traditional view, specifically considering past, present, and future aspects. The traditional approach to political science has historically concentrated on a specific entity as its core subject of study.

What is the Traditional Perspective?

The traditional view of political science is often associated with classical thinkers and early political theorists. This perspective typically views politics as dealing with the state and its institutions. It focuses on formal structures, laws, and the machinery of government within the framework of the state.

Analyzing the Options in the Context of Traditional Political Science

Let's look at the given options and how they relate to the traditional view of political science:

• Government: Government is an essential component of the state and a key subject of study in political science. However, the traditional view often saw government as the operational arm of the state, rather than the entirety of the field's focus. The state is a broader concept that includes population, territory, sovereignty, and government.
• Society: Society is the larger context within which politics operates. While political science studies political relationships and power structures within society, the traditional approach did not consider the study of society as a whole to be its primary domain. Other disciplines like sociology focus more broadly on society.
• State: The concept of the State is central to the traditional view of political science. Scholars in this tradition studied the origin, nature, functions, and purpose of the state. They examined different forms of states, their structures, and their historical development (past), current status (present), and potential evolution (future). This makes the study of the state the cornerstone of this perspective.
• Power: Power is a fundamental concept in political analysis, recognized across various schools of thought. However, in the traditional view, power was often studied primarily as it related to the state – how the state acquires, maintains, and exercises power, particularly through its institutions like government. While crucial, power itself was not always the *central entity* of study in the same way the state was.

The State as the Core Subject of Study

According to the traditional definition, political science is fundamentally concerned with the study of the state. This includes looking at its historical formation, its current structure and operation, and potential developments or ideal forms. Thinkers like Plato, Aristotle, Machiavelli, and Hobbes, often considered part of this tradition, extensively discussed the state.

Therefore, based on the traditional understanding, the subject matter of political science revolving around the past, present, and future aspects is predominantly the State.