The role of reason over emotion in human behavior. Political behavior, in this view, follows logical and even predictable patterns so long as we understand the key role of self-interest.
The moral values, beliefs, and myths by which people live and for which they are willing to die.
In its sovereign form, an independent political-administrative unit that successfully claims the allegiance of a given population, exercises a monopoly on the legitimate use of coercive force, and controls the territory inhabited by its citizens or subjects.
An approach to the study of politics that is based on examining fundamental and enduring questions.
The exercise of political power in a community in a way that is voluntarily accepted by the members of that community.
A concept in political theory most often associated with Thomas Hobbes, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and John Locke. It is an implicit agreement among individuals to form a civil society and to accept certain moral and political obligations essential to its preservation.
Command of the obedience of society's members by a government.
The process by which a community selects rulers and empowers them to make decisions, take action to attain common goals, and reconcile conflicts within the community.
The way scientists and scholars set about exploring, explaining, proving, or disproving propositions in different academic disciplines. The precise methods vary according to the discipline and the object, event, process, or phenomenon under investigation.
The persons and institutions that make and enforce rules or laws for the larger community
The capacity to influence or control the behavior of persons and institutions, whether by persuasion or coercion.