Abstract
The study of international relations owes a great deal to political philosophy. Many of the central analogies and concepts in international relations derive from prominent philosophical traditions. Here, I focus on three areas in which political philosophy has made an important impact on international relations theory: anarchy and political order, democracy, and justice. Many other important areas of international politics invoke philosophical inquiry, such as just war, human rights and humanitarian intervention, which I will not discuss here. In international relations, three philosophers occupy centre stage when discussing these ideas: Hobbes, Kant and Rawls. I discuss how scholars in international relations have used these thinkers to develop theories of international politics. I also ask what political philosophy might gain from a greater knowledge of the field of international relations, which raises the question of the relationship between normative and empirical research. Overall, I argue that greater interaction between normative and empirical research is a valuable goal.
Original language | English (US) |
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Title of host publication | A Companion to Contemporary Political Philosophy |
Publisher | wiley |
Pages | 214-225 |
Number of pages | 12 |
ISBN (Electronic) | 9781405177245 |
ISBN (Print) | 9781405136532 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jan 1 2008 |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- General Arts and Humanities
Keywords
- Democracy
- Democratic peace
- International relations
- International state of nature
- Justice
- Political order