POS 361 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Hans Morgenthau, Immanuel Kant, Nationstates
Document Summary
Theory: explanation of why things happen: political science is based on empirical theory, which is supported by observable evidence, theory underlies rational discourse (able to think clearly and test ideas against reality) Philosopher immanuel kant saw that just gathering facts will leave you with a jumble of unrelated information. You will not know what to do with your facts; they will be meaningless. This is why paradigms (a widely accepted research model or way of studying things) are developed. British diplomat and scholar e. h. carr (1892 1982) called the interwar period the. Twenty years" crisis, 1919 1939, the title of his scathing and influential critique of the failure of the democracies to recognize world power realities. Realism: ir theory that emphasizes power and national interest. Realism focuses on power, a much broader concept than just military force. Power consists of the economic, political, psychological, and military tools by which a gets b to do what a wants.