The word 'rationality' and its cognates, like 'reason', have multiple contexts and connotations. Rational calculation can be contrasted with rational interpretation. There is the rationality of proof and of persuasion, of tradition and of the criticism of tradition. Rationalism (and rationalists) can be reasonable or unreasonable. Reason is sometimes distinguished from revelation, superstition, convention, prejudice, emotion, and chance, but all of these also involve reasoning. In politics, three views of rationality - economic, moral, and historical - have been especially important, often defining approaches to politics and political theory such as utilitarianism and rational choice theory. These approaches privilege positive or natural law, responsibilities, or human rights, and emphasize the importance of culture and tradition, and therefore meaning and context. This book explores the understanding of rationality in politics and the relations between different approaches to rationality. Among the topics considered are the limits of rationality, the role of imagination and emotion in politics, the meaning of political realism, the nature of political judgment, and the relationship between theory and practice. This book was originally published as a special issue of Global Discourse.

The word 'rationality' and its cognates, like 'reason', have multiple contexts and connotations. Rational calculation can be contrasted with rational interpretation. There is the rationality of proof and of persuasion, of tradition and of the criticism of tradition. Rationalism (and rationalists) can be reasonable or unreasonable. Reason is sometimes distinguished from revelation, superstition, convention, prejudice, emotion, and chance, but all of these also involve reasoning. In politics, three views of rationality - economic, moral, and historical - have been especially important, often defining approaches to politics and political theory such as utilitarianism and rational choice theory. These approaches privilege positive or natural law, responsibilities, or human rights, and emphasize the importance of culture and tradition, and therefore meaning and context. This book explores the understanding of rationality in politics and the relations between different approaches to rationality. Among the topics considered are the limits of rationality, the role of imagination and emotion in politics, the meaning of political realism, the nature of political judgment, and the relationship between theory and practice. This book was originally published as a special issue of Global Discourse.

This introductory textbook on international relations theory brings together a selection of leading experts to offer an unparalleled insight into the main paradigms and latest developments in the discipline. Presenting a full range of theories, from realism and liberalism to institutionalism and green theory, the sixth edition of this book has been extensively revised to offer a more global introduction to international relations. It showcases insights from across the world, and employs a historical and sociological perspective throughout to demonstrate how any understanding of IR is time and place contingent. New to this edition are two new chapters on postcolonialism and institutionalism, as well as boxed cases which apply theory to contemporary empirical examples including gendered policy in the UN, the phenomenon of 'fake news', issues on migration, and the crisis of the Amazon's forest fires. Assuming no prior knowledge of international relations theory, this text remains the definitive companion for all students of international relations and anyone with an interest in the latest scholarship of this fascinating field.

This introductory textbook on international relations theory brings together a selection of leading experts to offer an unparalleled insight into the main paradigms and latest developments in the discipline. Presenting a full range of theories, from realism and liberalism to institutionalism and green theory, the sixth edition of this book has been extensively revised to offer a more global introduction to international relations. It showcases insights from across the world, and employs a historical and sociological perspective throughout to demonstrate how any understanding of IR is time and place contingent. New to this edition are two new chapters on postcolonialism and institutionalism, as well as boxed cases which apply theory to contemporary empirical examples including gendered policy in the UN, the phenomenon of 'fake news', issues on migration, and the crisis of the Amazon's forest fires. Assuming no prior knowledge of international relations theory, this text remains the definitive companion for all students of international relations and anyone with an interest in the latest scholarship of this fascinating field.

In a time of eroding sovereignty and resurgent nationalism, this collection provides a searching investigation of the moral foundations of the international order. Drawing on diverse philosophical and theological perspectives, the contributors debate the character of international society, the authority of international law and institutions, and the demands of international justice. In a series of philosophical essays, each followed by a critical commentary, the book considers the contributions of legal positivism, natural law, Kantian ethics, contractarian theory, and moral cosmopolitanism to the discussion of law and justice in international society. It also includes commentaries by experts in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic moral theology, and a concluding chapter that compares and contrasts the views presented without seeking to adjudicate their differences.

Because of its comprehensive approach and the diversity of its viewpoints, the volume serves as an introduction to the topic and as a resource for scholars, journalists, policy makers, and anyone else who wants to understand better the range of moral perspectives that underlies discussion of the current international order. In addition to the editors, the contributors are Brian Barry, Chris Brown, John Charvet, Richard Friedman, Robert P. George, Sohail Hashmi, Pierre Laberge, David Miller, David Novak, Max L. Stackhouse, Fernando R. Teson, and Frederick G. Whelan."

A superb introduction to the ethical aspects of war and peace, this collection of tightly integrated essays explores the reasons for waging war and for fighting with restraint as formulated in a diversity of ethical traditions, religious and secular. Beginning with the classic debate between political realism and natural law, this book seeks to expand the conversation by bringing in the voices of Judaism, Islam, Christian pacifism, and contemporary feminism. In so doing, it addresses a set of questions: How do the adherents to each viewpoint understand the ideas of war and peace? What attitudes toward war and peace are reflected in these understandings? What grounds for war, if any, are recognized within each perspective? What constraints apply to the conduct of war? Can these constraints be set aside in situations of extremity? Each contributor responds to this set of questions on behalf of the ethical perspective he or she is presenting. The concluding chapters compare and contrast the perspectives presented without seeking to adjudicate their differences. Because of its inclusive, objective, comparative, and dialogic approach, the book serves as a valuable resource for scholars, journalists, policymakers, and anyone else who wants to acquire a better understanding of the range of moral viewpoints that shape current discussion of war and peace. In addition to the editor, the contributors are Joseph Boyle, Michael G. Cartwright, Jean Bethke Elshtain, John Finnis, Sohail H. Hashmi, Theodore J. Koontz, David R. Mapel, Jeff McMahan, Richard B. Miller, Aviezer Ravitzky, Bassam Tibi, Sarah Tobias, and Michael Walzer.

This unique collection presents texts in international relations that range from Ancient Greece to the First World War. It is the largest anthology currently available and includes extracts from works by fifty thinkers, including Thucydides, Augustine, Aquinas, Machiavelli, and John Stuart Mill. The texts are organized into broadly chronological sections, each headed by an introduction placing the work in its historical and philosophical context. Ideal for students and scholars, the volume also includes biographies and guides to further reading.

This is the first comprehensive study of how different ethical traditions deal with the central moral problems of international affairs. Using the organizing concept of a tradition, it shows that ethics offers many different languages for moral debate rather than a set of unified doctrines. Each chapter describes the central concepts, premises, vocabulary, and history of a particular tradition and explains how that tradition has dealt with a set of recurring ethical issues in international relations. Such issues include national self-determination, the use of force in armed intervention or nuclear deterrence, and global distributive justice.

This unique collection presents texts in international relations that range from Ancient Greece to the First World War. It is the largest anthology currently available and includes extracts from works by fifty thinkers, including Thucydides, Augustine, Aquinas, Machiavelli, and John Stuart Mill. The texts are organized into broadly chronological sections, each headed by an introduction placing the work in its historical and philosophical context. Ideal for students and scholars, the volume also includes biographies and guides to further reading.