Without Comparison True Knowledge Is Hanging: Exploring the Relevance of Comparative Politics

Abstract

This paper explores the relevance of comparison in establishing true knowledge. The paper identifies comparison as an explanatory approach that is well-established in comparative politics than in most disciplines. Justifying that comparative politics is central to political science because it employs comparison as a major instrument to study global politics, it expounds that the use of comparison assists comparativists in examining political issues to see how they are similar or different from one another thereby establishing true knowledge. Certain questions emerge: what are the roles of comparison in comparative politics? Are there limits to what we can know and compare? To what extent can comparison assist in establishing true knowledge? Drawing from secondary data and comparative analytical technique, the paper argues that all comparative studies involve the use of comparison and all comparisons are driven by a desire to identify similarities and dissimilarities between social phenomena otherwise true knowledge is hanging.