Political Science 2231E Lecture 2: Lecture 2 - Theories in Global Politics.pdf
11 Dec 2014
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Idealism vs. realism -- 1940s - 1950s a. b. Idealists = ought to be world -- in which war is a recurring theme -- stopping war. Realists = way it is world -- preventing war. Historicism vs. behaviourism -- 1960s - 1970s a. b. c. Historicism: patterns in history, analysis of decisions of leaders, interpretation and conceptualization of this sort of pattern [realism] Behaviouralism -- collecting observable data, after we codify and measure, then find the pattern. These patterns will then be turned into laws of international behaviour [neorealism] Positivism -- there is a correspondence theory of knowledge, the knowledge we gain is from observable data, the observer and observed are separate. Connection between the theory and the knowledge itself. Interparadigm debate -- 1980s a. b. c. d. e. f. Incommensurability: cannot agree on the ontology, epistemology, and methodology. Following kuhn: need a paradigm to be agreed upon or to dominate for science to move forward.
