Intro%20to%20PO (1)

**Pharaohs**: Rulers of ancient Egypt. **Akhenaten**: Notable Pharaoh who introduced the worship of Aten, marking a shift from polytheism. His reign significantly impacted art and culture. **Politics**: Rooted in scarcity; defined by Harold Lasswell as "Who gets what, when, and how". It involves the struggle for resources and government’s role in public policy. **Government Purpose**: Create public policy for the public interest, which is defined as society's best interests. Governments hold the monopoly on legitimate force. **Public Interest**: Questions arise regarding the existence of a universal public interest. **Political Science**: The field grapples with whether it is a science; Americanists affirm it, while political philosophy presents mixed views. Utilizes scientific methods for political phenomena. **Normativity**: Normative scholarship addresses what should be, contrasting with non-normative focus on factual establishment. Political theory incorporates ethical questions. **Hypotheses**: Specific predictions derived from theories, crucial for research validity through empirical data.