PSCI 1100 Chapter 3: Chapter 3 - Contending Perspectives.docx

• School: Carleton University
• Department: Political Science
• Course: PSCI 1100
• Professor: Tamara Kotar

Document Summary

C h a p t e r 3. T h i n k i n g t h e o r e t i c a l ly: a theory is a set of propositions and concepts that seeks to explain phenomena by specifying the relationships among the concepts; theory"s ultimate purpose is to predict phenomena, good theory generates groups of testable hypotheses: specific statements positing a particular relationship between two or more variables, as more and more data are collected, one must be tolerant of ambiguity, concerned about probabilities, and distrustful of absolutes. Individuals are organized in states, each of which acts in a unitary way in pursuit of its own national interest, defined in terms of power: power is primarily thought of in terms of material resources necessary to physically harm or coerce, states exist in an anarchic international system, characterized by the absence of an authoritative other states. hierarchy.