Study Questions for Hirschman

1. What are the primary components of the tendency toward "compulsive and mindless theorizing"? Is this a prevalent problem in political science?
2. Is a single “cognitive style” beneficial or a detriment to political science in general?
3. How can political behavior in Latin America hold implications for political behavior in the United States?
4. What is the role of paradigms in political science? Are they essential or do they cause more problems than necessary?
5. Can multiple strains of political science in general adhere to a single paradigm? Are multiple paradigms necessary?
6. What is the author trying to show in his inclusion of two totally opposite theories? Is he convincing in his assertions?
7. What are the differences between historians, psychologists, and political scientists?
8. What are the role and contribution of statistical analyses? Are they important to the legitimacy of political science? How do they undermine or further validate paradigms?
9. What are the problems of theories that seek to prove phenomena? Is this a prevalent problem in political science?
10. How do paradigms explain gloom and doom? Is this legitimate?
11. According to the author, how does large-scale social change occur? Should such endeavors be the primary goal in social sciences?
12. What are the implications for American politics that this article poses?

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