The Conduct of Inquiry in International Relations

Description

There are many different scientifically valid ways to produce knowledge. The field of International Relations should pay closer attention to these methodological differences, and to their implications for concrete research on world politics.

The Conduct of Inquiry in International Relations provides an introduction to the philosophy of science issues and their implications for the study of global politics. The author draws attention to the problems caused by the misleading notion of a single unified scientific method, and proposes a framework that clarifies the variety of ways that IR scholars establish the authority and validity of their empirical claims. Jackson connects philosophical considerations with concrete issues of research design within neopositivist, critical realist, analyticist, and reflexive approaches to the study of world politics. Envisioning a pluralist science for a global IR field, this volume organizes the significant differences between methodological stances so as to promote internal consistency, public discussion, and worldly insight as the hallmarks of any scientific study of world politics.

This important volume will be essential reading for all students and scholars of International Relations, Political Science and Philosophy of Science.

Contents

1. The Importance of Philosophy 2. Ontological and Epistemological Wagers 3. Neopositivism 4. Realism 5. Pragmatism 6. Reflexivity 7. In Defense of Pluralism

Author Bio

Patrick Thaddeus Jackson is Associate Professor of International Relations in the School of International Service at the American University in Washington, DC; he is also Director of General Education for the university. He is the author of Civilizing the Enemy (2006) and the co-editor of Civilizational Identity (2007).

Related Subjects

1. Political Philosophy
2. Political Theory
3. International Politics
4. Politics & International Relations
5. International Relations
6. International Relations Theory
7. Political Ideologies
8. Philosophy of Science
9. Ancient Philosophy