Justice

How does a political theory differ from political philosophy? The former is empirical; the latter is not. Is that right?

Comments

The indicated difference often concerns merely where it is being done: in a political science department or in a philosophy department. Other than that, "political theory" is often used for more historical works of exposition and interpretation (say, of the writings of Locke or Rousseau), while "political philosophy" is used for works that defend or critically engage with a normative view (even a historical one). In this sense, Quentin Skinner might be a paradigm political theorist and John Rawls a paradigm political philosopher; but the distinction cannot be sharply drawn.

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