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Is 'Political Science' an oxymoron?

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    Posted: December 04 2019 at 06:14
Is the very term 'political science' an oxymoron?

Politics is based very much on perspective and interpretation, rather like religious faith, and far less based in verified fact.

In science, a hypothesis is validated by factual data, and if the data doesn't support the hypothesis, the hypothesis is discarded. In politics the opposite is usually true. If a hypothesis is not not validated by data, the data is discarded, or the hypothesis re-written to fit the data.

Discuss. Nicely..
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Lewian Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 04 2019 at 06:43
Political science is science in the sense of investigating scientifically how politics works, which is fine by me, although the term "science of politics" would make that clearer, I guess.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote SteveG Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 04 2019 at 06:55
It is if you interpret it that way. Wink
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ExittheLemming Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 04 2019 at 07:04
Yep, I think it more appropriate to describe the discipline as Political Sociology to avoid the inevitable charges of inconsistencies with the hypothetical proofs required by natural sciences (biology, chemistry, physics) and formal sciences (logic, mathematics)
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote siLLy puPPy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 04 2019 at 07:28
You have to remember that English words have multiple meanings and shades of nuances depending on the field of study to which they relate. Just read the more comprehensive definition of the word SCIENCE and it's quite clear that when coupled with an adjectival descriptor that it's perfectly logical to create word groupings such as POLITICAL SCIENCE.

sci·ence

 (sī′əns)
n.
1.
a. The observation, identification, description, experimental investigation, and theoretical explanation of phenomena: new advances in science and technology.
b. Such activities restricted to a class of natural phenomena: the science of astronomy.
2. A systematic method or body of knowledge in a given area: the science of marketing.
3. Archaic Knowledge, especially that gained through experience.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Blacksword Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 04 2019 at 08:04
Originally posted by ExittheLemming ExittheLemming wrote:

Yep, I think it more appropriate to describe the discipline as Political Sociology to avoid the inevitable charges of inconsistencies with the hypothetical proofs required by natural sciences (biology, chemistry, physics) and formal sciences (logic, mathematics)


Or political philosophy...
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Blacksword Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 04 2019 at 08:04
Originally posted by siLLy puPPy siLLy puPPy wrote:

You have to remember that English words have multiple meanings and shades of nuances depending on the field of study to which they relate. Just read the more comprehensive definition of the word SCIENCE and it's quite clear that when coupled with an adjectival descriptor that it's perfectly logical to create word groupings such as POLITICAL SCIENCE.

<h2>sci·ence</h2> <span ="snd" -snd="S0146700"><span title="" ="i snd-icon-plain"></span> </span> <span ="pron">(sī′əns)</span><div ="pseg">n.<div ="ds-list">1. <div ="sds-list">a. <span ="hvr">The</span> <span ="hvr">observation,</span> <span ="hvr">identification,</span> <span ="hvr">description,</span> <span ="hvr">experimental</span> <span ="hvr">investigation,</span> <span ="hvr">and</span> <span ="hvr">theoretical</span> <span ="hvr">explanation</span> of <span ="hvr">phenomena:</span> <span ="illustration"><span ="hvr">new</span> <span ="hvr">advances</span> in <span ="hvr">science</span> <span ="hvr">and</span> <span ="hvr">technology.</span></span>
<div ="sds-list">b. <span ="hvr">Such</span> <span ="hvr">activities</span> <span ="hvr">restricted</span> to a <span ="hvr">class</span> of <span ="hvr">natural</span> <span ="hvr">phenomena:</span> <span ="illustration"><span ="hvr">the</span> <span ="hvr">science</span> of <span ="hvr">astronomy.</span></span><div ="ds-list">2. A <span ="hvr">systematic</span> <span ="hvr">method</span> or <span ="hvr">body</span> of <span ="hvr">knowledge</span> in a <span ="hvr">given</span> <span ="hvr">area:</span> <span ="illustration"><span ="hvr">the</span> <span ="hvr">science</span> of <span ="hvr">marketing.</span></span><div ="ds-list">3. <span ="hvr">Archaic</span> <span ="hvr">Knowledge,</span> <span ="hvr">especially</span> <span ="hvr">that</span> <span ="hvr">gained</span> <span ="hvr">through</span> <span ="hvr">experience.</span>



Very good point.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote BaldJean Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 04 2019 at 18:10
no, it is not. I suggest you look up the meaning of "oxymoron" because it does NOT mean "contradiction in terms", as many people (and apparently you too) falsely use the word.

an oxymoron is a rhetorical device that combines two apparent opposites to illustrate a point and thereby creates a new meaning. examples are "bittersweet", "deafening silence" or "open secret". "political science" does most definitely not fall into that category




Edited by BaldJean - December 04 2019 at 18:23


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote The Dark Elf Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 04 2019 at 18:54
Originally posted by BaldJean BaldJean wrote:

no, it is not. I suggest you look up the meaning of "oxymoron" because it does NOT mean "contradiction in terms", as many people (and apparently you too) falsely use the word.

an oxymoron is a rhetorical device that combines two apparent opposites to illustrate a point and thereby creates a new meaning. examples are "bittersweet", "deafening silence" or "open secret". "political science" does most definitely not fall into that category



If you are referring to the current crop of Republicans in Washington, then yes, "Political Science" is indeed an oxymoron. In fact, one could make the case that "science" has been totally divorced from "politics" at this point. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote siLLy puPPy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 04 2019 at 19:45
Originally posted by The Dark Elf The Dark Elf wrote:

Originally posted by BaldJean BaldJean wrote:

no, it is not. I suggest you look up the meaning of "oxymoron" because it does NOT mean "contradiction in terms", as many people (and apparently you too) falsely use the word.

an oxymoron is a rhetorical device that combines two apparent opposites to illustrate a point and thereby creates a new meaning. examples are "bittersweet", "deafening silence" or "open secret". "political science" does most definitely not fall into that category



If you are referring to the current crop of Republicans in Washington, then yes, "Political Science" is indeed an oxymoron. In fact, one could make the case that "science" has been totally divorced from "politics" at this point. 

Why pick on Republicans when the two party system very much uses the scientific process and psychological manipulation to convince the masses to forgo the collective freewill and give consent to the economic slavery system that is bestowed upon us by the tentacles of the US corporation. Yes, if you are a citizen, you are a member of a corporation, not a citizen of the actual republic. As the masterminds consolidate these tactics into what is referred to as Earth Inc, it is becoming more clear that the political scene is tantamount to Kabuki theatre and doesn't display any sort of representation for the populace. In other words, the Dems are in on it. The democratic congress just renewed the patriot act. Nuff said

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote The Dark Elf Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 04 2019 at 20:13
Originally posted by siLLy puPPy siLLy puPPy wrote:

Originally posted by The Dark Elf The Dark Elf wrote:

Originally posted by BaldJean BaldJean wrote:

no, it is not. I suggest you look up the meaning of "oxymoron" because it does NOT mean "contradiction in terms", as many people (and apparently you too) falsely use the word.

an oxymoron is a rhetorical device that combines two apparent opposites to illustrate a point and thereby creates a new meaning. examples are "bittersweet", "deafening silence" or "open secret". "political science" does most definitely not fall into that category



If you are referring to the current crop of Republicans in Washington, then yes, "Political Science" is indeed an oxymoron. In fact, one could make the case that "science" has been totally divorced from "politics" at this point. 

Why pick on Republicans when the two party system very much uses the scientific process and psychological manipulation to convince the masses to forgo the collective freewill and give consent to the economic slavery system that is bestowed upon us by the tentacles of the US corporation. Yes, if you are a citizen, you are a member of a corporation, not a citizen of the actual republic. As the masterminds consolidate these tactics into what is referred to as Earth Inc, it is becoming more clear that the political scene is tantamount to Kabuki theatre and doesn't display any sort of representation for the populace. In other words, the Dems are in on it. The democratic congress just renewed the patriot act. Nuff said

You may be partially right, in an Orwellian full-blown paranoiac sense; however, looking at the current political situation and removing the patina of neurosis, one can plainly see a president and his political lackeys not only devoid of any interest in the scientific method, but actively espousing anti-intellectualism, ridding government agencies of any oversight from research and scientific safeguards: the EPA is run by lobbyists for fossil fuel companies, any mention of climate change is being stricken from the record, sensible environmental policies instituted by previous Democratic and Republican presidents are being eliminated, and, in a more political vein, crackpot conspiracy theories debunked by the country's own intelligence agencies continue to be fervently repeated which fly in the face of every report to the contrary issued by qualified individuals, many of whom were put in their positions by the president himself.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote siLLy puPPy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 04 2019 at 21:09
^ if you think the Patriot Act is a conspiracy theory, you've been spending too much time in the dark, dude

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote The Dark Elf Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 04 2019 at 22:35
^ I wasn't referring to the Patriot Act, which has literally nothing to do with what I was referring to. Try to follow along. Actually, you should be more upset about the Republican majority Supreme Court's absurd ruling on Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, thus allowing "corporate personhood" and uncounted millions in dark money to basically buy politicians. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Blacksword Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 05 2019 at 02:29
Originally posted by BaldJean BaldJean wrote:

no, it is not. I suggest you look up the meaning of "oxymoron" because it does NOT mean "contradiction in terms", as many people (and apparently you too) falsely use the word.

an oxymoron is a rhetorical device that combines two apparent opposites to illustrate a point and thereby creates a new meaning. examples are "bittersweet", "deafening silence" or "open secret". "political science" does most definitely not fall into that category






It is a term that is lazily used incorrectly. I agree. I stand guilty and deeply ashamed.

Maybe lose the oxy, and just go with the moron bit...
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote I prophesy disaster Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 05 2019 at 05:00
Originally posted by Blacksword Blacksword wrote:

Is the very term 'political science' an oxymoron?

Politics is based very much on perspective and interpretation, rather like religious faith, and far less based in verified fact.

In science, a hypothesis is validated by factual data, and if the data doesn't support the hypothesis, the hypothesis is discarded. In politics the opposite is usually true. If a hypothesis is not not validated by data, the data is discarded, or the hypothesis re-written to fit the data.

Discuss. Nicely..
 
As I see it, the question is based on a category error in that you are confusing the study of a subject with the subject itself. In other words, political science is not the same as politics, and any flaws that may exist in politics are not flaws in political science, even if political science has flaws of its own.
 
 
 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote I prophesy disaster Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 05 2019 at 05:12
Originally posted by BaldJean BaldJean wrote:

no, it is not. I suggest you look up the meaning of "oxymoron" because it does NOT mean "contradiction in terms", as many people (and apparently you too) falsely use the word.

an oxymoron is a rhetorical device that combines two apparent opposites to illustrate a point and thereby creates a new meaning. examples are "bittersweet", "deafening silence" or "open secret". "political science" does most definitely not fall into that category
 
The Wikipedia article on "oxymoron" has this to say:

An oxymoron (usual plural oxymorons, more rarely oxymora) is a rhetorical device that uses an ostensible self-contradiction to illustrate a rhetorical point or to reveal a paradox. A more general meaning of "contradiction in terms" (not necessarily for rhetoric effect) is recorded by the OED for 1902.

Interestingly, because "oxy" means sharp, and "moron" means dull, "oxymoron" is autological, i.e. it is itself an example of an oxymoron.
 
 
 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ExittheLemming Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 05 2019 at 06:26
^ Should 'anal retentive' have a hyphen? Discuss.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote siLLy puPPy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 05 2019 at 09:11
Originally posted by The Dark Elf The Dark Elf wrote:

^ I wasn't referring to the Patriot Act, which has literally nothing to do with what I was referring to. Try to follow along. Actually, you should be more upset about the Republican majority Supreme Court's absurd ruling on Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, thus allowing "corporate personhood" and uncounted millions in dark money to basically buy politicians. 


How do you place an equivalency on these injustices? Don't you see how they're connected? The US effectively became a corporation with the creation of Washington DC in 1871. It's all about making contractual agreements with the US corporation which nullifies constitutional rights. The answer is to withdraw from the corporation and seek sovereignty. Getting upset about Godzilla while he destroys Tokyo while contributing one's energy to his mass destruction on a daily basis is tantamount to being a secondary psychopath. Unplug and don't construct ridiculous hierarchies of legislative tyranny when is all of the same energetic body.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote SteveG Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 05 2019 at 10:39
Originally posted by ExittheLemming ExittheLemming wrote:

^ Should 'anal retentive' have a hyphen? Discuss.
LOL Funniest thing I've read all week.

Edited by SteveG - December 05 2019 at 10:40
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote I prophesy disaster Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 05 2019 at 11:07
Originally posted by ExittheLemming ExittheLemming wrote:

^ Should 'anal retentive' have a hyphen? Discuss.
 
Yes. The Wiktionary entry on "anal retentive" says that it's an alternative spelling of "anal-retentive", implying that "anal-retentive" is the main spelling.

 
 
No, I know how to behave in the restaurant now, I don't tear at the meat with my hands. If I've become a man of the world somehow, that's not necessarily to say I'm a worldly man.
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