Last night, I conversed with Misha (the Physics/Russian Lit wonder in my life) about why the hell I bother studying Political Science-- I myself sometimes question and doubt the value of my discipline. What am I creating? What can I TRULY know if I am outside of the process/work? How am I an asset to humanity by versing myself in this discipline? I'm certainly not inventing, creating or researching a cure for cancer. ..... Naturally I sound cynical and this is a cynical take. But one has to stop and question these things in order to get maximum efficiency and happiness out of a field.
So, the New York Times prints this article:
Basically, a journalist (who probably graduated in Political science) questioning what the hell Political science is and why it is useful to humanity. Rather, the Journalist was following a certain Senator Coburn, who has recently attacked the National Science Foundation for giving $91.3 million to Poli sci field projects and research--money that could have been used in Biology, Physics, or Pharmacology.
Yet, the article quotes:
"Senator Coburn has maintained that commentators on CNN, Fox News, MSNBC and other news media outlets 'provide a myriad of viewpoints to answer the same questions.'"
If this is where Senators get their Political Science Advice, then I'm a little worried for America.
Political Science does have a duty to inform, but the right people in the right places need to do it. Let's not be frivolous with our money now. Science needs politics just as much as politics (government) needs science. If science wants to see its work deployed on a large scale, its needs politics to help survey that field and that strategy.
Maybe I'll be a Sociology Major.
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