ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at the actual and potential uses of science in politics. It describes quick examination of some of the scientific resources that the political scientist and the social technologist should employ to avoid shallowness and wasteful improvisation. The fashionable talk about knowledge-based society is empty when accompanied by faith-based politics. The chapter describes two important but somewhat vague notions: those of degree of democracy, and political capital. Since politics is about social issues, one would presume that politicians and civil servants spend time studying the findings and ideas of social scientists. Politics is a moral minefield because it is about protecting rights and enforcing duties. In short, politics may benefit from scientific inputs. Consider for example three of the many problems in environmental management: urban sprawl, ecosystems conservation, and protection of the atmosphere. Political science is expected to deal with political facts and political texts—which may either reveal or distort the former.
