Is Poli. Sci. a science? - John Lewis Gaddis: - Imagined prediction vs. replicating/reproducing results is intuitive difference - Five standards: - Parsimony: smallest laws that predict human behavior - Poli. Sci. has some laws, but thety aren't strictj - Variables - Nominal: positive or negative (did or didn't happen) - Ordinal, ordered preferences - Nonlinear, subjective - Continuous (very wide variation, more scientific) - political science has fewer, making it less replicate. - Accounting for change - Cold War wasn't accurately predicted - Predictions by poli. sci. are typically bad - Commensurability - Common results and definitions - Political Science doesn't have singular, consistent definitions (see: democracy, war) - Objectivtiy - Poli. Sci. is often subjective and requires bias for proper analysis - But so are hard sciences like medicine. - Concludes that poli. sci is a science because it - tries to obtain these goals (it is very young so less adv) - predicts or prepares