Political Science is the study of the balance between individual freedom and government control.
Absolute Freedom
In the beginning, there was no government. Every one ran around, doing whatever they felt like doing. They could steal and kill whenever they felt like it. But, they could also just as easily be robbed or killed themselves. In this scenario, government could (or should) be established as a 3rd party to enforce laws, like no stealing or no killing. Government is necessary to protect the people. In exchange, people have to give up some of their freedoms and agree to abide by the laws set up by the government and pay taxes to fund the government.
Absolute Authority
The opposite of absolute freedom is absolute authority. This is a situation where the government controls all the actions of the people. Goverment tells you what to do, what to think, what to say, how to live, where to live, who to marry, how many children to have, etc. If you don't, the government can kill you, put you in jail, or whatever they see fit.
The optimal amount of governmental control lies somewhere between the two extremes. Figuring out the best balance is Political Science.
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