ABSTRACT
Puzzles about the nature of political power have made it hard to see what ruling is. And they have made it easier to think that political science might make ruling scientific. There is a difference between political power and any-other power in a society. When men recognize the authority of the state, they generally have no reason except perhaps that everyone does and apparently always has. If modern states are said to be necessary for the administration of essential services, people may ask how state administration differs from private administration of these services. If political power is not the power of any one force in the community, that is a reason against calling the state a committee for managing the affairs of one class or movement. It is true that historical study may deepen the understanding of political problems.
