TWO BOOKS ON POLITICAL SCIENCE
In: Political studies, Band 8, Heft 1, S. 76-78
ISSN: 0032-3217
A survey of 2 violently contrasting books, A. Brecht's positivistic study, POLITICAL THEORY (1959) & B. Crick's attack on this approach. While noting Brecht's wide range & profound learning, it is suggested that he goes too far in confining 'knowledge', philosophically, to what is empirically verifiable. The criticism of Crick's book is that, apart from inadequate study of the selected sources, the principle of selection is radically unsound since the reconstruction of 'pol'al sci', taken seriously, is not at all limited to US writers, is not well exemplified (eg, by T.V. Smith's work), & cannot justly be said to be epiphenomenal to, & in its methods limited by, the US soc scene. The pol'al philosophy is defensible; but the thesis as it stands is more startling than impressive. AA.