POLS 3230 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Social Forces
4 Oct 2018
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Robert cox, social forces, states and world orders: beyond international relations theory. Theory is always for someone and for some purpose. The more sophisticated a theory is, the more it reflects upon and transcends its own perspective; but the initial perspective is always contained within a theory and is relevant to its explication. Problem-solving theory: takes the world as it finds it, with the prevailing social and power relationships and the institutions into which they are organised, as the given framework for action. The general aim of problem-solving is to make these relationships and institutions work smoothly by dealing effectively with particular sources of trouble. Since the general pattern of institutions and relationships is not called into question, particular problems can be considered in relation to the specialised areas of activity in which they arise. Critical theory: stands apart from the prevailing order of the world and asks how that order came about.
