MAKILALA INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

MAKILALA , NORTH COTABATO

ENTREPRENEURSHIP DEPARTMENT

Social Science and Philosophy

Course Number: SSP1
Instructor: Myrachelle Joyce C.
Estrada, RPm
Course Title or Description:
Social Science and
Philosophy 09630700097
Credit Units: 3 LEC
[email protected]

Myrachelle Joyce Estrada

Module No.6
Duration: 1 week/ April 5-9,
2021
I. LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:
: evaluate the veracity of the statements regarding the concept of
Politics and Political Science;
: determine the reasons why we should study Political Science;
and
: compare and contrast Politics and Political Science.
II. TOPICS/SUBJECT MATTER
• Basic Concepts of Politics and Political Science
III. REFERENCE
Benton, T., & Craib, I. (2011). Philosophy of Social Science. London:
Saffron House, 6-10 Kirby Street, London EC1N 8TS.
Gordon, S. (2003). The history and philosophy of social science. USA,
and Canada: Taylor & Francis e-Library.
Jonathan Veran Macayan, J. P. (2018). Understanding the Self. Quezon
City, Philippines: C & E publishing , Inc.
Philippine Constitution-2008 Edition, Hector S. De Leon; Philippine
Politics and Governance, Rhene C. Tabajen & Erlinda B. Pulma.

IV. COURSE CONTENT

THE STUDY OF POLITICS
There are four important and fundamental concepts that we have to
understand first before we explore the salient provisions of the 1987 Philippine
Constitution. These are the concepts of politics, state, government, and
constitution. A focused discussion of these fundamental concepts will introduce
us to the broader and deeper political concepts that are expressed in the various
provisions of the 1987 Philippine Constitution. Let us now begin discussing the
concept of politics by looking at the pictures below.
Can you identify what these pictures suggest? Well, borrowing some words from
a song, a picture, and for this matter, pictures paint a thousand words. But what
is important for you to take notice of is that, these pictures speak of some
activities of people involved in a political relationship – people who advance their
welfare or assert their rights; people in government who attend to their duties;
candidates for public office who try to win the votes of electorate; any association,
small or large, permanent or temporary (school clubs, consumer’s union, teacher’s
alliances, a corporate board, homeowners association, and class section) who
manage their affairs. These have something to do with political relationship. The
question here is, “Why is such relationship political?” and “what is political in
the first place?”

The study of Political Science will explain to us the answers to these questions,
but first we have to define what Political Science is. There are two concepts that
we need to simplify – political and science.
Science, which is from the Latin word scientia, literally means having
knowledge. Therefore, from this, we define Science as a systematized body of
knowledge. What about the word political? Etymologically, the word political
comes from the Greek word polis, which literally means city-state. A city-state is
a state having the size of a city, which is no bigger than today’s modern cities.
From the word polis comes polites, referring to citizens and politikos that means
government officials.
From the etymological derivation of the words political and science, we can define
political science simply this way:
Political Science is the systematic study of the state. How do modern political
scientists define it? Robert Dahl (1991) defines it this way:
Political Science is the study of politics.
If a more dynamic definition of political science is that, it is the study of politics,
what then is politics?
Politics is the process of decision-making and decision-enforcing in any group
that makes and
enforces rules for its members (Austin, 1993). This broad definition refers to both
private and government organizations. In that sense, there is politics even at
home because decision-making and decision-enforcing processes also take place
there. There is politics in the classroom when we organize ourselves in class.
There is politics in non-governmental organizations like Miriam-PEACE (a
school-based environmental group). That answers our first question at the onset
that a common concern or activity of people in a group revolves on a political
relationship. It also satisfies what is considered political. However, decision-
making and enforcing invite conflict. This is between and among those who
decide and enforce it and those who are supposed to abide by the decision. In
that respect, politics is conflict; and it is through politics that conflict is also
resolved or settled. Nevertheless, most political scientists are only interested in
the processes of government and not those of private organizations. Hence, in a
more restricted sense:
Politics is the process of making government policies (McKeon, 1941).

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We shall adopt this more restricted definition throughout this work. By
government policies, we mean public policies. These policies undergo a process
of decision-making and decision-enforcing.
Public policies are authoritative and defined courses of actions handed down
by the government officials and government agencies in pursuit of national needs
and goals. These public policies are implemented through various government
programs. They come in the form of legislations (laws), judicial decisions,
executive orders, and administrative decisions that set government direction and
influence the public lives of the people, sometimes making them better and
sometimes worse. Emphatically, public policies should be made for the public
good and interest. Of course, for every political decision the government makes,
some will agree while others will not. Conflict of interest is always there.
Nevertheless, every citizen should
respect and abide by public policies intended for the good of the many.
WHY STUDY POLITICAL SCIENCE
Theoretical discussions on politics tend to
make some students believe that political
science is a dull subject. They would express
the view, no matter how much they talk of
government policies and actions, they can do
nothing about them simply because they are
just ordinary citizens. That is why for them,
political science is just a “fool’s science”, “poli
sigh” (tiring, boring), “folly science”
(kalokohan), pollutical science (nakaka-
pollute ng isip), “poli sayang” (waste of time), (Zaide, 1996). But before you
close the pages of this module, consider this. If you have been reading
newspapers, you probably have read headlines like those which are shown in
Fig. 1.
As you can see, these are political decisions of the government, private
organizations or some other political or nonpolitical organizations. Can you
identify those that affect you directly or indirectly? Such political decisions –
how, why, what, and when such decisions are made, are the concerns in the
study of political science. However, to many, things like these are of little or no
concern to them. The result then is that, these people are not aware of what is
going on in a larger situation. There might be an impending political upheaval or
economic crunch and yet, they are unaware or are only partly unaware and
uninformed.
In this fast paced and complicated world, it is important that one is well-informed
and understands the dynamics of politics so that he can situate himself better
in society. Remember, any government decision will affect you and all of us. Here
comes the importance of studying political science.

The study of political science should serve ultimately the interest of the people.
For one, the

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government is formed for the people and not the other way around. Studying the
forces and dynamics of governance means knowing how people and government
can work towards what is good for the country, and finally, what is best for
improving the lives of the people. That is why, Aristotle believed that political
science is the most sovereign of the arts and sciences. This is because political
science as a discipline is about government which is founded on the principle of
justice (Held, 1989). To give justice to every man is the moral duty of the
government; hence, justice encompasses all. As quoted by David Held in his
book, The Politics, a Fig. 1
STUDY OF POLITICAL SCIENCE ENABLES US
• to understand how political system works
• to understand the functions and role of the government
• to develop political awareness
• to understand sociopolitical issues and their implications
• to cultivate responsive citizenship and effective
participation in the government 3 government according to Aristotle is tasked
with promoting the general interest of the people based on the principle of
justice.
SCOPE OF POLITICAL SCIENCE
The increasing complexities of man’s association and factors associated with it
encourage political scientists to look analytically into all human political
endeavors. Since political science is a broad field, the tendency is to study its
different areas. The following are general areas of study in the subject Political
Science:
1. Political Theory-the study of political views and thoughts or doctrines
(ideology) relating to the state. It includes the ethical and moral standards of the
government.
2. Public Law- the study of government powers, duties, its organization, and the
limits of its authority in relation to individual rights. It includes the study of
relationship between sovereign states.
Public Law is subdivided into:
a. Constitutional Law – body of laws resulting from the interpretation by the
high court of a
written constitutional instrument
b. Administrative Law – body of laws regulating conduct of government officials
and agencies
c. International Law – body of laws pertaining to relations of sovereign states to
one another
3. Public Administration - the study of methods and techniques in the
management of state affairs by the three branches of the government, namely:
the executive, legislative, and judiciary
INTERRELATIONSHIPS OF POLITICAL SCIENCE WITH THE OTHER
SCIENCES
The study of political science involves a multidisciplinary approach. In this
regard, it encompasses other social disciplines including Sociology, Economics,
Psychology, and Anthropology, History, Geography, Philosophy, Jurisprudence,
and many others.
❖ Sociology studies social life and human interactions, from how groups form
to how large organizations run to how people interact with one another. Political
scientists make use of sociological studies and methods when examining, for
example, how small group dynamics affect the decision-making process, how
people acquire and maintain power, and how political culture shapes our
attitudes.
❖ Politics and economics often intersect. Studying government without also
studying economics, especially in free-market societies, is not possible. Political
scientists examine such economic issues as the effects government policy has

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on the economy, the role money plays in campaigns, and how nations arrive at
trade agreements.
❖ Psychology studies the way the human mind works, helping us to understand
why people behave the way that they do. Political scientists sometimes use the
insights of psychology to analyze a president’s or voter’s behavior or to explain
why some people are more prone to supporting certain governments and
ideologies.
❖ Anthropology examines cultures within a society and theorizes about how
those cultures affect society. Anthropologists explore how people acquire cultural
values. Because culture often has a strong effect on behavior, political scientists
rely on anthropological studies and methods.
❖ History, the political scientist frequently adopts a “historical approach” and
employs knowledge of the past when he seeks to interpret and probable
developments in political phenomena. The bond between the political scientist
and the historian is obvious in the observation that history is past politics and
politics presents history.
❖ Geography, geopolitics indicates one approach which a political scientist
frequently must adopt to help explain such phenomena in Great Britain and
United States, and the rise of authoritarian governments in developing countries.
❖ Jurisprudence, this branch of public law is concerned with the analysis of
existing legal systems and also with ethical, historical, sociological, and
psychological foundations of law. A comprehension of the nature of law and of
statutes enacted by legislatures is indispensable to the political theorist.

V. ACTIVITY/EXERCISES
Activity 6:
Submit your answers at the Entrepreneurship faculty office in a hardcopy form.
Write your answers at the back of the answer sheet.

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 VI. ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION

OFFLINE SUBMISSION: Write your name legibly and answer the following items.
Write your answers in the answer sheet provided after the quiz. Submit your
ANSWER SHEET at the office after completion.
ONLINE SUBMISSION: A link will be provided on google classroom. You may
answer via GOOGLE FORMS.
I. True or false
Instructions: Write TRUE if the statement is correct and FALSE if it is not.
1. The study of public law is focused upon the methods and techniques used in
the actual management of state affairs.
2. Sociology is concerned with problems of social welfare and other matters
that are urgent concern to public officials and to private citizens.
3. Political scientists make use of sociological studies and methods to study
how people acquire and maintain power.
4. Politics is inextricably bound up with the perpetual quest for what is fair or
just in light of the interest of the entire community, not only on one individual.
5. Politics affects the lives and well-being of private citizens.
6. Everyone has a stake in the society and no one should feel estranged from it.
7. The interests of all citizens must be well protected in a prompt and
appropriate manner so that each of them can appreciate and take part in the
process of governance.
8. The study of Politics is generally attuned to the concept of democracy, and
on how the government and the civil society arrive at a decision in meeting
their needs.
9. By studying Economics, we become more aware of our dependence on the
political system and better equipped to determine when to favor and when to
oppose change.
10. The relations among men and groups which are subject to control by the
state, with the relations of men and groups to the state itself, and with the
relation of state to other states are part of the concerns of
Politics.

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 Answer Sheet for SSP

Name:________________________________________Sec:__________________________

Score:_____________ Module No:___________________

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