The Recovery of Political Theory: Limits and Possibilities

For nearly two and a half decades―during the 1950s and 1960s and into the early years of the 1970s―political scientists in the United States were engaged in a struggle over the nature of their discipline. On one side were the traditionalists who saw political philosophy as a valuable and necessary part of their profession. On the other side were the political scientists whose views had been strongly influenced by the principles and methods of behavioralism. Behavioralism was by far the dominant force in the struggle, and only a relatively small number of scholars during the time carried on the pursuit of political theory in the classical sense.

William Havard was one of the few scholars who kept the lamp of political theory burning during its years of eclipse. The Recovery of Political Theory brings together eleven of his most illuminating essays from the last twenty years, essays examining both broad historical issues and recent trends in American political science. Havard analyzes the importance of political theory and discusses his reasons for rejecting many of the precepts of behavioralism. He discusses political anthropology and political rhetoric, probes the New Left views of Noam Chomsky, and assesses the crucial contributions made by the works of Eric Voegelin and Michael Oakeshott in the attempt to reassert the importance of political theory. In other essays, such as his study of the Agrarian manifesto I'll Take My Stand. Havard examines the importance of literary theory in the understanding and practice of politics. Finally, he argues for the importance of liberal studies in political education and for the need of political scientists to draw knowledge from the humanities.

Recently, as the tide of behavioralism in political science has receded, there has been renewed interest in political theory. Gathered together in book form, these essays by William Havard chronicle the progress of political theory during its period of decline and provides a foundation for the current rebuilding of the discipline of political science.