Study

People have been systematically dealing with political issues since antiquity at the latest. The history of political ideas is essentially a historical discipline. However, in Germany it is customary to categorise it as political theory - and with good reason: it deals with the emergence, development and impact of the many political ideas that people have developed over the course of history. The history of political ideas is therefore also an essential part of the history of science of political science as a whole. In this respect, its findings provide a historically evolved pool of ideas, arguments, concepts, interpretations and questions for all sub-disciplines of the subject, which always offers the potential to question, rethink or fruitfully enrich contemporary perspectives, concepts or categories of analysis.

Political philosophy is not only about how politics is, but also how it should be. Which political goals are important, and which are - under certain conditions - sensible or appropriate? Which means of achieving political goals are - under which circumstances - morally justifiable? These are two of the most general normative-theoretical questions that political philosophers deal with. Political philosophy also involves analysing conceptual issues that are inextricably linked to normative questions: What is meaningfully meant by the word "democracy" when it is (nowadays) generally used to describe the only type of political system that is considered legitimate? What are its fundamental ideas and values? The focus of political philosophy is not on the history of ideas, but on gaining insights into normative political issues. However, analysing historical source texts and the historical fund of ideas, arguments, concepts and questions archived therein forms a valuable and indispensable basis for this.

The basis for answering questions in political philosophy is the development and, above all, the justification of value standards; in this respect, political philosophy is necessarily closely related to moral philosophy. Another necessarily very close relationship exists with the philosophy of law, as politics is essentially concerned with the adoption and enforcement of binding decisions in society, i.e. with the shaping of legal norms and legal systems.

With this conceptual-normative groundwork, political philosophy can also develop practical orientation knowledge for the assessment and shaping of politics: Orientation knowledge of this kind is the aim when dealing with questions such as the so-called "just war", the political shaping of emerging technologies or the question of justice between the generations.

Positive political theory refers to the general theoretical foundations for empirical political science, the identification of relevant units of observation (individuals, groups, states, institutions, norms, systems, etc.) and the development of analytical models. Empirical political theories aim to explain political phenomena and, if necessary, to predict them. Positive political theory provides the conceptual tools for this and consequently forms the basis for research in the application-oriented sub-disciplines, for example in the field of international politics or the analysis and comparison of political systems. The sub-discipline of political philosophy, theory and history of ideas can also contribute to this theoretical work through historical and analytical-systematic perspectives, despite its overall interest in understanding and judgement.

The philosophy of science of political science can be located on an even more fundamental level. For political science as a whole, questions such as: What is (political science) knowledge anyway? Which methods can be applied to certain problems? What requirements and limitations are associated with the choice of a particular method? The philosophy of science of political science deals with these questions. It examines what makes political science a science, which political science methods meet scientific standards, etc. Political science itself thus becomes the object of study. Political science itself thus becomes the subject of scientific reflection. An important goal of the philosophy of science is to distinguish between science and speculation and to establish criteria for the scientific nature of political science work. A politically aware and socially responsible political science also requires reflection on the tense relationship between science and politics (e.g. scientific freedom as a requirement for good science; ethical and political limits of science [human experiments]; the politicisability of science [also in political consulting]; normative expertise in pluralistic democracies; etc.).