Is there a "timeless wisdom" to realism?

Is there a

Author: Markus Minning

Publisher:

Published: 2008

Total Pages:

ISBN-13: 9783640094554

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Book Synopsis Is there a "timeless wisdom" to realism? by : Markus Minning

Download or read book Is there a "timeless wisdom" to realism? written by Markus Minning and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:


International Theory

International Theory

Author: Steve Smith

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 1996-06-13

Total Pages: 388

ISBN-13: 9780521479486

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This book provides a major review of the state of international theory. It is focused around the issue of whether the positivist phase of international theory is now over, or whether the subject remains mainly positivistic. Leading scholars analyse the traditional theoretical approaches in the discipline, then examine the issues and groups which are marginalised by mainstream theory, before turning to four important new developments in international theory (historical sociology, post-structuralism, feminism, and critical theory). The book concludes with five chapters which look at the future of the subject and the practice of international relations. This survey brings together key figures who have made leading contributions to the development of mainstream and alternative theory, and will be a valuable text for both students and scholars of international relations.


Book Synopsis International Theory by : Steve Smith

Download or read book International Theory written by Steve Smith and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 1996-06-13 with total page 388 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides a major review of the state of international theory. It is focused around the issue of whether the positivist phase of international theory is now over, or whether the subject remains mainly positivistic. Leading scholars analyse the traditional theoretical approaches in the discipline, then examine the issues and groups which are marginalised by mainstream theory, before turning to four important new developments in international theory (historical sociology, post-structuralism, feminism, and critical theory). The book concludes with five chapters which look at the future of the subject and the practice of international relations. This survey brings together key figures who have made leading contributions to the development of mainstream and alternative theory, and will be a valuable text for both students and scholars of international relations.


Is there a “timeless wisdom” to realism?

Is there a “timeless wisdom” to realism?

Author: Markus Minning

Publisher: GRIN Verlag

Published: 2008-03-19

Total Pages: 9

ISBN-13: 3638021572

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Essay from the year 2007 in the subject Politics - Other International Politics Topics, University of Sheffield (Department of Politics), language: English, abstract: I argue that there is no ́timeless wisdom ́ to realism, because in my opinion wisdom has nothing to do with realism. If realism is a timeless theory, then it should be viewed differently from the concept of wisdom. Both will be discussed in the following essay. Before we can fully answer the question if there is a ́timeless wisdom ́ to realism, we should focus on the meaning of wisdom. The term wisdom has a varity of different meanings and implications in depending on your particular point of view. If you search the online lexicon encarta, you find for instance explanations of “Western philosophic theories on wisdom”, “wisdom in Chinese philosopic tradition”, mythological definitions of wisdom and there exist other understandings of wisdom. (encarta. 13.11.07) Probably the political scientists have another meaning of wisdom in their mind than the psychologists. For this essay the definition of wisdom will be the one used in the encarta dictionary. It declares wisdom as “the ability to make sensible decisions and judgments based on personal knowledge and experience.” (encarta dictionary. 13.11.07) When we use this definition, which is of course mainly used to describe the behavior of human beings rather than a political theory, it is very doubtful to describe someone who sees power politics and e.g. the use of war merely as a political instument, as a sensible being. From a realist viewpoint states are “self-help agents” which only see their own interests and carry it through in an anarchic world order. (Doyle et al., 1997, p. 165) In regard to Machiavelli and Hobbes, humans are born bad. Carr and Morgenthau assume that the mankind learned by sociological factors to be self-maximizers. (Brown, 2007) Realist politics is power politics. Morgenthau claims that “power may comprise anything that establishes and maintains the control of man over man. Thus power covers all social relationships which serve that end, from physical violence to the most subtle psychological ties by which one mind controls another.” (Morgenthau, 1948, p. 11) Does this sound sensible? The focus on realism is rather power politics, conflict and war in which the values of cooperation, peace and progress are focused in the theories of liberalism. (Jackson et al, 2003 ) Of course, if we want to be 100 per cent correct, we also have to define the meaning of sensible decisions making, which is used in the definiton of wisedom. This would be the right way to work scientificly.


Book Synopsis Is there a “timeless wisdom” to realism? by : Markus Minning

Download or read book Is there a “timeless wisdom” to realism? written by Markus Minning and published by GRIN Verlag. This book was released on 2008-03-19 with total page 9 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Essay from the year 2007 in the subject Politics - Other International Politics Topics, University of Sheffield (Department of Politics), language: English, abstract: I argue that there is no ́timeless wisdom ́ to realism, because in my opinion wisdom has nothing to do with realism. If realism is a timeless theory, then it should be viewed differently from the concept of wisdom. Both will be discussed in the following essay. Before we can fully answer the question if there is a ́timeless wisdom ́ to realism, we should focus on the meaning of wisdom. The term wisdom has a varity of different meanings and implications in depending on your particular point of view. If you search the online lexicon encarta, you find for instance explanations of “Western philosophic theories on wisdom”, “wisdom in Chinese philosopic tradition”, mythological definitions of wisdom and there exist other understandings of wisdom. (encarta. 13.11.07) Probably the political scientists have another meaning of wisdom in their mind than the psychologists. For this essay the definition of wisdom will be the one used in the encarta dictionary. It declares wisdom as “the ability to make sensible decisions and judgments based on personal knowledge and experience.” (encarta dictionary. 13.11.07) When we use this definition, which is of course mainly used to describe the behavior of human beings rather than a political theory, it is very doubtful to describe someone who sees power politics and e.g. the use of war merely as a political instument, as a sensible being. From a realist viewpoint states are “self-help agents” which only see their own interests and carry it through in an anarchic world order. (Doyle et al., 1997, p. 165) In regard to Machiavelli and Hobbes, humans are born bad. Carr and Morgenthau assume that the mankind learned by sociological factors to be self-maximizers. (Brown, 2007) Realist politics is power politics. Morgenthau claims that “power may comprise anything that establishes and maintains the control of man over man. Thus power covers all social relationships which serve that end, from physical violence to the most subtle psychological ties by which one mind controls another.” (Morgenthau, 1948, p. 11) Does this sound sensible? The focus on realism is rather power politics, conflict and war in which the values of cooperation, peace and progress are focused in the theories of liberalism. (Jackson et al, 2003 ) Of course, if we want to be 100 per cent correct, we also have to define the meaning of sensible decisions making, which is used in the definiton of wisedom. This would be the right way to work scientificly.


The Hidden History of Realism

The Hidden History of Realism

Author: S. Molloy

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2006-02-04

Total Pages: 187

ISBN-13: 1403982929

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Challenging the received notions of International Relations theory about a central tradition - Realism - Molloy demonstrates how a belief in a mode of theorization has distorted Realism, forcing the theory of power politics in IR into a paradigmatic strait-jacket that is simply inadequate and inappropriate to the task of encompassing its diversity.


Book Synopsis The Hidden History of Realism by : S. Molloy

Download or read book The Hidden History of Realism written by S. Molloy and published by Springer. This book was released on 2006-02-04 with total page 187 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Challenging the received notions of International Relations theory about a central tradition - Realism - Molloy demonstrates how a belief in a mode of theorization has distorted Realism, forcing the theory of power politics in IR into a paradigmatic strait-jacket that is simply inadequate and inappropriate to the task of encompassing its diversity.


Realist Thought and the Nation-State

Realist Thought and the Nation-State

Author: Konstantinos Kostagiannis

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2017-09-21

Total Pages: 213

ISBN-13: 3319596292

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This book recovers the history of realist theorization on nationalism and the nation-state. Presented in a sequence of snapshots and illustrated by examples drawn from the foreign policy of great powers, this history is represented by four key realist thinkers. It uses the centrality of power in realism as a starting point to claim, contrary to conventional wisdom about realism, that for realists the state is better understood not as a political unit outside history but rather as a manifestation of power unfixed in time. It also claims that the process of gradual impoverishment of the concept of power from classical to structural realism had profound implications for realism, as what the latter gained in parsimony it lost in analytical purchase. As a result, elaborate understandings of nationalism and its relation to the state are replaced by one-dimensional approaches. In order to offer meaningful engagement with foreign policy, neorealists often have to resort to the recovery of some of the complexity of classical realist accounts.


Book Synopsis Realist Thought and the Nation-State by : Konstantinos Kostagiannis

Download or read book Realist Thought and the Nation-State written by Konstantinos Kostagiannis and published by Springer. This book was released on 2017-09-21 with total page 213 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book recovers the history of realist theorization on nationalism and the nation-state. Presented in a sequence of snapshots and illustrated by examples drawn from the foreign policy of great powers, this history is represented by four key realist thinkers. It uses the centrality of power in realism as a starting point to claim, contrary to conventional wisdom about realism, that for realists the state is better understood not as a political unit outside history but rather as a manifestation of power unfixed in time. It also claims that the process of gradual impoverishment of the concept of power from classical to structural realism had profound implications for realism, as what the latter gained in parsimony it lost in analytical purchase. As a result, elaborate understandings of nationalism and its relation to the state are replaced by one-dimensional approaches. In order to offer meaningful engagement with foreign policy, neorealists often have to resort to the recovery of some of the complexity of classical realist accounts.


The Eighty Years' Crisis

The Eighty Years' Crisis

Author: Ken Booth

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 1998

Total Pages: 272

ISBN-13: 9780521667838

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This book uses the agenda of E. H. Carr, and most obviously extends the title of his classic book The Twenty Years' Crisis, as the point of departure to discuss aspects of the world historical crisis from the end of the First World War until the end of the 1990s. This crisis - identified by 80 years of destructive wars, inequalities in life chances, and today's casualities of the global political economy - has shaped both the practices of international politics and the way they have been conceptualised and reconceptualised by specialists in International Relations. A distinguished group of contributors have written about the development of the academic discipline of International Relations in the inter-war years, the Cold War and post-Cold War eras; ethics, power and nationalism; the conditions of peace and the roles of law and peaceful change; and finally, considering future prospects, about globalization and the end of the old order.


Book Synopsis The Eighty Years' Crisis by : Ken Booth

Download or read book The Eighty Years' Crisis written by Ken Booth and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 1998 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book uses the agenda of E. H. Carr, and most obviously extends the title of his classic book The Twenty Years' Crisis, as the point of departure to discuss aspects of the world historical crisis from the end of the First World War until the end of the 1990s. This crisis - identified by 80 years of destructive wars, inequalities in life chances, and today's casualities of the global political economy - has shaped both the practices of international politics and the way they have been conceptualised and reconceptualised by specialists in International Relations. A distinguished group of contributors have written about the development of the academic discipline of International Relations in the inter-war years, the Cold War and post-Cold War eras; ethics, power and nationalism; the conditions of peace and the roles of law and peaceful change; and finally, considering future prospects, about globalization and the end of the old order.


The Realist Tradition and Contemporary International Relations

The Realist Tradition and Contemporary International Relations

Author: W. David Clinton

Publisher: LSU Press

Published: 2007-07-01

Total Pages: 343

ISBN-13: 0807149217

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The tradition in international relations theory known as realism has often been associated with the Cold War. The contributors to this intriguing volume argue, however, that realism remains a profound and relevant perspective on contemporary international politics. They point out that classical realism is based on concepts that were elucidated long before the Cold War began and are not confined by its boundaries. Further, they believe that insights of the realist tradition can provide valuable guidance in our contemporary world. W. David Clinton and ten scholars of foreign policy reexamine the work of thinkers spanning twenty-five centuries who have contributed to the development of realism across the ages. In their essays, the authors consider two key questions: What makes these thinkers "realists"? And how is their work relevant to the modern, post--Cold War world? These essays take a fresh look at such canonical thinkers as Thucydides, Augustine, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Hume, Burke, Carr, Niebuhr, and Morgenthau. Countering the widespread belief that realism has nothing left to offer, this collection demonstrates that continuities remain in the political world -- and that the ideas rooted in realism are too important and too useful to ignore. While there are obvious differences among the political philosophers whose works are considered here, they share a common concern about human limitations and the possible dangerous consequences of ignoring those limitations. Each in his own way, these classic thinkers discuss the need for prudence to counter the ever-present threat of tragedy resulting from our innocent, hopeful, or self-righteous efforts for perfection. These provocative essays demonstrate that though a realist understanding of the nature of international relations is at least as old as Thucydides, it is also as contemporaneous as the most recent headline.


Book Synopsis The Realist Tradition and Contemporary International Relations by : W. David Clinton

Download or read book The Realist Tradition and Contemporary International Relations written by W. David Clinton and published by LSU Press. This book was released on 2007-07-01 with total page 343 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The tradition in international relations theory known as realism has often been associated with the Cold War. The contributors to this intriguing volume argue, however, that realism remains a profound and relevant perspective on contemporary international politics. They point out that classical realism is based on concepts that were elucidated long before the Cold War began and are not confined by its boundaries. Further, they believe that insights of the realist tradition can provide valuable guidance in our contemporary world. W. David Clinton and ten scholars of foreign policy reexamine the work of thinkers spanning twenty-five centuries who have contributed to the development of realism across the ages. In their essays, the authors consider two key questions: What makes these thinkers "realists"? And how is their work relevant to the modern, post--Cold War world? These essays take a fresh look at such canonical thinkers as Thucydides, Augustine, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Hume, Burke, Carr, Niebuhr, and Morgenthau. Countering the widespread belief that realism has nothing left to offer, this collection demonstrates that continuities remain in the political world -- and that the ideas rooted in realism are too important and too useful to ignore. While there are obvious differences among the political philosophers whose works are considered here, they share a common concern about human limitations and the possible dangerous consequences of ignoring those limitations. Each in his own way, these classic thinkers discuss the need for prudence to counter the ever-present threat of tragedy resulting from our innocent, hopeful, or self-righteous efforts for perfection. These provocative essays demonstrate that though a realist understanding of the nature of international relations is at least as old as Thucydides, it is also as contemporaneous as the most recent headline.


Realist Ethics

Realist Ethics

Author: Valerie Morkevičius

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2018-01-25

Total Pages: 274

ISBN-13: 1108245994

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Just war thinking and realism are commonly presumed to be in opposition. If realists are seen as war-mongering pragmatists, just war thinkers are seen as naïve at best and pacifistic at worst. Just war thought is imagined as speaking truth to power - forcing realist decision-makers to abide by moral limits governing the ends and means of the use of force. Realist Ethics argues that this oversimplification is not only wrong, but dangerous. Casting just war thought to be the alternative to realism makes just war thinking out to be what it is not - and cannot be: a mechanism for avoiding war. A careful examination of the evolution of just war thinking in the Christian, Islamic, and Hindu traditions shows that it is no stranger to pragmatic politics. From its origins, just war thought has not aimed to curtail violence, but rather to shape the morally imaginable uses of force, deeming some of them necessary and even obligatory. Morkevičius proposes here a radical recasting of the relationship between just war thinking and realism.


Book Synopsis Realist Ethics by : Valerie Morkevičius

Download or read book Realist Ethics written by Valerie Morkevičius and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2018-01-25 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Just war thinking and realism are commonly presumed to be in opposition. If realists are seen as war-mongering pragmatists, just war thinkers are seen as naïve at best and pacifistic at worst. Just war thought is imagined as speaking truth to power - forcing realist decision-makers to abide by moral limits governing the ends and means of the use of force. Realist Ethics argues that this oversimplification is not only wrong, but dangerous. Casting just war thought to be the alternative to realism makes just war thinking out to be what it is not - and cannot be: a mechanism for avoiding war. A careful examination of the evolution of just war thinking in the Christian, Islamic, and Hindu traditions shows that it is no stranger to pragmatic politics. From its origins, just war thought has not aimed to curtail violence, but rather to shape the morally imaginable uses of force, deeming some of them necessary and even obligatory. Morkevičius proposes here a radical recasting of the relationship between just war thinking and realism.


Neoclassical realism in European politics

Neoclassical realism in European politics

Author: Asle Toje

Publisher: Manchester University Press

Published: 2024-07-30

Total Pages: 284

ISBN-13: 1526186071

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Realism is making a comeback in Europe. This book brings together a new generation of realist scholars. It provides a rigorous survey for specialists seeking to understand the dynamics of international relations in a time of change. The volume thus seeks to explore the European dimension to neoclassical realism. The hope with this book is that it will spark a debate that, in time, might lead to the re-emergence of a distinctly European realist school which draws on the roots of the historical, non-American realist tradition, benefiting from insights in the liberal-constructivist paradigm. Through detailed case studies, the book illustrates that power and influence remain fruitful, even indispensable variables through which to understand the formation of foreign policy.


Book Synopsis Neoclassical realism in European politics by : Asle Toje

Download or read book Neoclassical realism in European politics written by Asle Toje and published by Manchester University Press. This book was released on 2024-07-30 with total page 284 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Realism is making a comeback in Europe. This book brings together a new generation of realist scholars. It provides a rigorous survey for specialists seeking to understand the dynamics of international relations in a time of change. The volume thus seeks to explore the European dimension to neoclassical realism. The hope with this book is that it will spark a debate that, in time, might lead to the re-emergence of a distinctly European realist school which draws on the roots of the historical, non-American realist tradition, benefiting from insights in the liberal-constructivist paradigm. Through detailed case studies, the book illustrates that power and influence remain fruitful, even indispensable variables through which to understand the formation of foreign policy.


The Middle East, 13th Edition

The Middle East, 13th Edition

Author: Ellen Lust

Publisher: SAGE

Published: 2014

Total Pages: 1073

ISBN-13: 145224149X

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Lust and her outstanding contributors have fully revised the text to take into account the watershed events that have taken place in the Middle East since the 2011 uprisings. The book also adds important coverage with a new thematic chapter on religion, society, and politics in the region, which examines the role of both Islam and Judaism. New to this edition: - Every chapter has been thoroughly revised to cover all of the major changes in the region since the uprisings of 2011 - The Overview section now contains a chapter on religion, society, and politics in the Middle East that examines the role of both Islam and Judaism - Expanded coverage of the role of social movements and activism in the chapter, Actors and Public Opinion. - Country chapters have been revised to more explicitly address religion, society and politics - In light of user feedback, the thematic chapters have been reordered to fit more naturally with teaching progression preferred by most faculty


Book Synopsis The Middle East, 13th Edition by : Ellen Lust

Download or read book The Middle East, 13th Edition written by Ellen Lust and published by SAGE. This book was released on 2014 with total page 1073 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Lust and her outstanding contributors have fully revised the text to take into account the watershed events that have taken place in the Middle East since the 2011 uprisings. The book also adds important coverage with a new thematic chapter on religion, society, and politics in the region, which examines the role of both Islam and Judaism. New to this edition: - Every chapter has been thoroughly revised to cover all of the major changes in the region since the uprisings of 2011 - The Overview section now contains a chapter on religion, society, and politics in the Middle East that examines the role of both Islam and Judaism - Expanded coverage of the role of social movements and activism in the chapter, Actors and Public Opinion. - Country chapters have been revised to more explicitly address religion, society and politics - In light of user feedback, the thematic chapters have been reordered to fit more naturally with teaching progression preferred by most faculty