Political science (politology/politologia) is a general scientific discipline of politics. The term “politics” was most often defined as the art of managing the state (ancient Greek polis – city-state), but it was understood and treated differently as a subject over the course of history.
Initially, political science as a subject was only part of the general history of philosophical thought, but later it gradually became independent in the form of the history of political doctrines, the history of political philosophy or social philosophy, state and/or legal philosophical thought, and even as the history of legal theories, given that the art of managing a state and its citizens is largely based on the application, interpretation, realization, and respect for official legal norms (as well as on the application of unwritten but traditional legal legislation and its socio-moral norms based on which a certain social environment has lived and resolved its interpersonal relations for centuries).
The term “philosophy” in its meaning is sufficiently elaborated and known and essentially boils down to “love of wisdom”, i.e., knowledge or general knowledge (science) about man, i.e., his existence either in this world or the next, as well as the world around him, including a wide range of social and natural phenomena that influence man’s existence. However, the meaning of the terms “theory” and “doctrine” remains in many specific research cases, at least as far as political science is concerned, undefined or, in most cases, unclearly defined or not accepted at some general (global) level.
The term “theory” is of ancient Greek origin and, in a general sense, represents knowledge that is generally accepted as such. However, such knowledge also appears in practice in at least three forms:
1. Theoretical knowledge that is not (or does not need to be) directly related to application in practice;
2. Scientific knowledge, i.e., knowledge obtained through official systems of scientific verification and proof, and which as such becomes formally proven and “generally recognized” as accurate (proven) knowledge (i.e., knowledge of the functioning of a certain phenomenon);
3. Hypothetical meaning (i.e., a statement that has not yet been proven, i.e., “generally recognized”, but is widely applied in practice as it is).
In contrast to the term “theory”, the term “doctrine” in political science is generally prevalent among Western, but especially French, theorists and writers who deal with the history of economic science. However, the same term “doctrine” in political science can mean a completely different context in terms of, for example, the outlined foreign policy actions of a state (e.g., the “Bush Doctrine” of 2001, which proclaimed the “America First” policy). In any case, French theorists believe that in the history of (political and economic) philosophy, two types of thought should be distinguished:
1. Accurately established and officially adopted (in the strict sense of the word – proven) scientific knowledge and laws relating to a certain phenomenon that is the object of a certain study – “theory”;
2. Views, understandings, interpretations, or opinions of certain persons that are not officially established as “scientific theories” but are used as a kind of directive for specific political actions – “doctrine” or “hypotheses”, which are more or less practical instructions for a specific action but not officially scientifically recognized knowledge of proven truth or proven development of phenomenon (“theory”).
Nevertheless, the term “doctrine” is of Latin origin and comes from the words doceo, docere, doctus (to teach, to be taught, to know). However, this Latin term originally has several meanings, such as:
1. Theoretical knowledge that has not yet received official scientific confirmation as verified, i.e., proven knowledge in practical life (this item is practically identical to point 3 from the above-mentioned presentation of the meaning of the term “theory”);
2. Knowledge that is essentially considered true, but is in a practical sense related to action (political or economic), i.e., knowledge that is not purely theoretical. In this case, it is important to note that theoretical knowledge is considered proven facts, while doctrine implies some kind of instructions for practical action or, in politics, an order to perform a certain practical task in order to solve a practical problem.
3. Scientific knowledge, which practically coincides with points 1 and 2 from the above-mentioned presentation of the meaning of the term “theory”.
However, in the practice of scientific research in political, legal, and economic sciences, “theory” means proven (scientific) knowledge, while the term “doctrine” refers to still unproven knowledge from a purely scientific point of view – assumptions, which in essence do not have to be incorrect but in practice have not yet been formally proven as scientifically correct, i.e. true. In political science, the term “theory” is used in the broadest sense of the word for knowledge in a general sense: therefore, as knowledge that has been scientifically verified, but also as knowledge that is still in the form of use as an unproven hypothetical opinion or knowledge that is basically directed at the practical activity of a certain group of people.
Initially, political science as a subject was only part of the general history of philosophical thought, but later it gradually became independent in the form of the history of political doctrines, the history of political philosophy or social philosophy, state and/or legal philosophical thought, and even as the history of legal theories, given that the art of managing a state and its citizens is largely based on the application, interpretation, realization, and respect for official legal norms (as well as on the application of unwritten but traditional legal legislation and its socio-moral norms based on which a certain social environment has lived and resolved its interpersonal relations for centuries).
The term “philosophy” in its meaning is sufficiently elaborated and known and essentially boils down to “love of wisdom”, i.e., knowledge or general knowledge (science) about man, i.e., his existence either in this world or the next, as well as the world around him, including a wide range of social and natural phenomena that influence man’s existence. However, the meaning of the terms “theory” and “doctrine” remains in many specific research cases, at least as far as political science is concerned, undefined or, in most cases, unclearly defined or not accepted at some general (global) level.
The term “theory” is of ancient Greek origin and, in a general sense, represents knowledge that is generally accepted as such. However, such knowledge also appears in practice in at least three forms:
1. Theoretical knowledge that is not (or does not need to be) directly related to application in practice;
2. Scientific knowledge, i.e., knowledge obtained through official systems of scientific verification and proof, and which as such becomes formally proven and “generally recognized” as accurate (proven) knowledge (i.e., knowledge of the functioning of a certain phenomenon);
3. Hypothetical meaning (i.e., a statement that has not yet been proven, i.e., “generally recognized”, but is widely applied in practice as it is).
In contrast to the term “theory”, the term “doctrine” in political science is generally prevalent among Western, but especially French, theorists and writers who deal with the history of economic science. However, the same term “doctrine” in political science can mean a completely different context in terms of, for example, the outlined foreign policy actions of a state (e.g., the “Bush Doctrine” of 2001, which proclaimed the “America First” policy). In any case, French theorists believe that in the history of (political and economic) philosophy, two types of thought should be distinguished:
1. Accurately established and officially adopted (in the strict sense of the word – proven) scientific knowledge and laws relating to a certain phenomenon that is the object of a certain study – “theory”;
2. Views, understandings, interpretations, or opinions of certain persons that are not officially established as “scientific theories” but are used as a kind of directive for specific political actions – “doctrine” or “hypotheses”, which are more or less practical instructions for a specific action but not officially scientifically recognized knowledge of proven truth or proven development of phenomenon (“theory”).
Nevertheless, the term “doctrine” is of Latin origin and comes from the words doceo, docere, doctus (to teach, to be taught, to know). However, this Latin term originally has several meanings, such as:
1. Theoretical knowledge that has not yet received official scientific confirmation as verified, i.e., proven knowledge in practical life (this item is practically identical to point 3 from the above-mentioned presentation of the meaning of the term “theory”);
2. Knowledge that is essentially considered true, but is in a practical sense related to action (political or economic), i.e., knowledge that is not purely theoretical. In this case, it is important to note that theoretical knowledge is considered proven facts, while doctrine implies some kind of instructions for practical action or, in politics, an order to perform a certain practical task in order to solve a practical problem.
3. Scientific knowledge, which practically coincides with points 1 and 2 from the above-mentioned presentation of the meaning of the term “theory”.
However, in the practice of scientific research in political, legal, and economic sciences, “theory” means proven (scientific) knowledge, while the term “doctrine” refers to still unproven knowledge from a purely scientific point of view – assumptions, which in essence do not have to be incorrect but in practice have not yet been formally proven as scientifically correct, i.e. true. In political science, the term “theory” is used in the broadest sense of the word for knowledge in a general sense: therefore, as knowledge that has been scientifically verified, but also as knowledge that is still in the form of use as an unproven hypothetical opinion or knowledge that is basically directed at the practical activity of a certain group of people.
Dr. Vladislav B. Sotirovic is an ex-university professor and a Research Fellow at the Center for Geostrategic Studies in Belgrade, Serbia.
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