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Why political science matters?

The meaning of political science is often restricted to the state, government, and everyday politics. However, it goes beyond that. We as humans share various relationships. What do we do when conflicts arise in these relationships? How do we resolve them? The Socratic dialectical method or Habermas’ idea of deliberation provides a solution. It says conflicts are better resolved through dialogue rather than domination. Hence, it tells us how to talk in a dialectical manner. It is the process of reasoning together. For instance, when your father asks you to aim for a government job, but you want to become a content creator, you do not totally oppose each other. Instead, you engage rationally: Why is a government job important? Maybe because it provides security and financial stability. But being a content creator might give you creative freedom. So you decide to take a government job but also start your creator journey simultaneously — maybe by vlogging your day as a government employee...
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Decoding Intolerance: Riots and the Emergence of Terrorism in India by Prateep Kumar Lahiri


The writer disagrees with Huntington's theory of the "clash of civilization". He puts the lens of economics while discussing the problem without leaving religious and cultural aspects. The book covers various factors and dynamics of riots including the important and much-debated topics like secularism, terrorism, and fundamentalism vs liberalism within Islam. He deals with major riots separately with deep insights. The primary reason for riots in India, according to him are economic, political, and British policy of divide and rule. So religion alone is not responsible for the riots. Where there is more "civic engagement" there is less chance of riots. The Riot proneness is confined to only 5% of the population. So it is affecting quite a small number of the population only.

Overall a very good book to read about the history and functioning of riots in post-independent India including a brief overview of pre-independence, with a way forward. 
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