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The belief that politics can be scientific must inevitably produce tyrannies. Politics cannot be a science, because in politics theory and practice cannot be separated, and the sciences depend upon their separation. Empirical politics must be kept in bounds by democratic institutions, which leave it up to the subjects of the experiment to say whether it shall be tried, and to stop it if they dislike it, because, in politics, there is a distinction, unknown to science, between Truth and Justice.
W. H. Auden
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Politics should not be treated as a science because it involves values that cannot be measured objectively.

W. H. Auden's quote highlights the inherent complexities and ethical dimensions of politics, arguing that unlike the sciences, which thrive on empirical separation of theory from practice, political matters involve human values and collective consent. He advocates for a democratic framework where people have the power to assess and challenge political experiments, implying that beliefs in the scientific nature of politics can lead to oppressive regimes because they neglect the moral and subjective aspects of governance.

Themes

PoliticsScienceDemocracyTruthJusticeTyranny

In practice

Example use cases

In a political science class discussing the limitations of empiricism in governance.

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