In what ways is the study of political theory useful for us ? Indentify four ways in which political theory can be useful to us.

Political theory:

(i)Political theory examines questions of governance, its type, limitation on freedom etc of kind and systematically thinks about the values that inform political life – values such as freedom, equality and justice.

(ii)It explains the meanings and significance of these and other related concepts. It clarifies the existing definitions of these concepts by focusing on some major political thinkers of the past and present.

(iii)It also examines the extent to which freedom or equality are actually present in the institutions that we participate in everyday such as schools, shops, buses or trains or government offices.

(iv)At an advanced level, it looks at whether existing definitions are adequate and how existing institutions (government, bureaucracy) and policy practices must be modified to become more democratic.

The objective of political theory is to train citizens to think rationally about political questions and assess correctly the political events of our time.