🌟 Political Theory – An Introduction
❇️ Meaning of Politics
- The word Politics originates from the Greek word “Polis”, which literally means City-State (नगर राज्य).
❇️ What is Politics?
Scholars have given different definitions of Politics. Generally:
- 🔹 Politics is the art of governing (शासन करने की कला) and teaches how to run the government effectively.
- 🔹 Politics provides solutions to disputes in administration (प्रशासन संचालन के विवाद).
- 🔹 Politics teaches participation (भागीदारी), but common people often face its contradictory images.
- 🔹 In today’s context, politics is often linked with personal interests (निजी स्वार्थ).
❇️ Political Theory
- The main subject of Political Theory is the State and Government (राज्य व सरकार).
- It explains concepts like Freedom (स्वतंत्रता), Equality (समानता), Justice (न्याय), Democracy (लोकतंत्र).
❇️ Objectives of Political Theory
- To train citizens to think rationally (तर्क संगत ढंग से) about political questions.
- To help them judge social and political events (सामाजिक-राजनीतिक घटनाएं) correctly.
- Unlike Mathematics (where definitions are fixed), in Political Theory we face multiple definitions of Equality, Freedom, and Justice.
❇️ What Do We Study in Political Theory?
We study various aspects of life such as:
- 🔹 Social life (सामाजिक जीवन)
- 🔹 Government and Constitution (सरकार और संविधान)
- 🔹 Freedom, Equality, Justice, Democracy
- 🔹 Secularism (धर्मनिरपेक्षता) and many more
❇️ Applying Political Theories in Practice
- Politics keeps changing with time (समय के साथ बदलता रहता है).
- Applying theories like Freedom & Equality in real life is difficult.
- We must remove prejudices (पूर्वाग्रहों का त्याग) and adopt rational thinking.
- Through Political Theory, we can test our ideas and emotions (विचार व भावनाओं का परीक्षण) about political systems.
- Example: Equality means equal opportunities for all, but still special provisions exist for women, elderly, or disabled (महिलाएं, वृद्ध, विकलांग) → Hence, complete equality is not possible, but rational discrimination (तर्क संगत भेदभाव) is necessary.
❇️ Why Should We Study Political Theory?
- 🌍 To become a strong decision-maker (दृढ़ निर्णय लेने वाला नागरिक) in future challenges.
- 🗳️ To develop political awareness (राजनीतिक चेतना) and become a responsible citizen.
- 🤝 To remove prejudices (पूर्वाग्रह) and promote unity (एकता).
- 🧠 To learn the art of debate, arguments, and rational decision-making (वाद-विवाद व सही निर्णय लेने की कला).
- 🏛️ To gain knowledge of governance systems (शासन व्यवस्था).
- 📢 To understand the importance of Democracy (लोकतंत्र की उपयोगिता).
- ⚖️ To know our Rights and Duties (अधिकार व कर्तव्य).
- 🌐 To promote International Peace & Cooperation (अंतर्राष्ट्रीय शांति व सहयोग).
❇️ Final Note
- Words like Equality (समानता), Justice (न्याय) relate to our relations with other human beings, not material things.
- Political Theory encourages us to evaluate our thoughts, behavior, and emotions in politics.
- Politics vs Political Science:
- Politics = Based on opportunity & convenience (अवसर व सुविधा).
- Political Science = Emerged earlier, based on morality (नैतिकता).
📌 Exam-Ready Tip:
👉 Always remember that Political Theory is not just about concepts, it is about citizenship, values, and rational decision-making which makes democracy stronger.
