Political science.

Political scientists do not agree on when the field emerged. Within social sciences, political science is a latecomer. However, many political scientists trace the beginnings of the discipline to the political debates that took place in ancient Greece, contending that political science was born as a result of the teachings of philosophers such as Socrates (ca. 469–399 BCE) and Plato (ca. 427–374 BCE). However, it was Aristotle (ca. 384–322 BCE), with his insistence on empiricism and the need to back up theories with experience and evidence, who is considered the father of political science. Niccoló Machiavelli is credited with bringing greater pragmatism to the study of politics in The Prince (1532), earning him the title of the father of contemporary political philosophy. David Hume (1711–76), Adam Smith (1723–90), and other figures of the Scottish Enlightenment introduced Newtonian principles into the discipline. Political science has always walked a fine line between the social sciences and the humanities, and is not completely part of either field.