Political Science β the systematic study of government, power, and the state β is one of the oldest academic disciplines. But who first gave it a rigorous, structured, analytical form?
Aristotle was the private tutor of Alexander the Great from age 13. The greatest military conqueror in history was educated by the greatest philosopher-scientist β arguably history's most consequential teacher-student relationship.
Aristotle (384β322 BC), the ancient Greek philosopher, is universally called the Father of Political Science.
His book 'Politics' is the foundational text of Western political thought. In it, Aristotle:
In the Indian tradition, Kautilya (also called Chanakya or Vishnugupta, c. 350β283 BC) is considered the Father of Political Science.
His masterwork, the 'Arthashastra', written in Sanskrit, covers statecraft, military strategy, economic policy, law, and diplomacy β a comprehensive political treatise that predated Machiavelli's 'Prince' by 1,800 years.
For CBSE/NCERT exams, the accepted answer is Aristotle as the Father of Political Science (Western/modern tradition). For Indian tradition questions, Kautilya/Chanakya is the answer.
Aristotle considered **Polity** (a mixed constitution combining elements of oligarchy and democracy, ruled by a strong middle class) as the best practical form of government β because it was most stable and resistant to corruption.
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