The Real Revolution in Political Science

In: PS: political science & politics, Band 37, Heft 1, S. 47-50

Abstract

The existence of Kuhnian paradigm shifts in the US political science tradition is contemplated. It is contended that the proliferation of political scientific theories (eg, rational choice theory & institutionalism) does not constitute paradigm shifts; nevertheless, it is asserted that one paradigm shift has taken place within US political science. The transition between theories of the state & the emergence of the theory of democratic pluralism that arose during the 1920s & 1930s is interpreted as the only paradigm shift within US political scientific thought since the mid-19th century. After asserting that theories of the state had become stagnant in US political science by the early 1900s, scholarship that contributed to the rise of theories of democratic pluralism during the 1920s is identified. Even though theories of democratic pluralism were reworked prior to & immediately following WWII, it is argued that the behavioral revolution in political science during the 1950s does not represent a Kuhnian paradigm shift. Indeed, it is concluded that present-day political science scholarship continues to use the conceptions of political reality & democratic pluralism that were established during the interwar period. 20 References. J. W. Parker