The Quest for Knowledge in International Relations: How Do We Know?

ISBN-13: 9781009102919 / Angielski / Miękka / 2022 / 254 str.

Richard Ned LeBow

Opis

Lebow asks what kinds of knowledge international relations theories seek? How do they search for it and claim to have found it?

Recenzje

'Ned Lebow's Quest for Knowledge asks what scholars can come to know about international relations. Lebow provides a powerful argument advancing his highly-nuanced interpretivist-reflectivist methodology. At the same time, Quest surveys the range of current methodological approaches, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of each, including his own version of interpretivism. Methodology is, as Lebow rightly observes, only the tip of an iceberg, in that each approach is built upon a complex of metaphysical and epistemological premises - premises that the book makes explicit. Quest for Knowledge is another superb scholarly work by Lebow, and is essential reading for anyone interested in the legitimacy of various social science methods.' Fred Chernoff, Harvey Picker Professor of International Relations, Colgate University

Spis treści

Preface; 1. Introduction; 2. What is knowledge?; 3. Positivism and interpretivism; 4. Positivism: Correlational research; 5. Positivism: Experiments; 6. Positivism: Rationalism; 7. Interpretivism: Causal narratives; 8. Interpretivism: Practice turn; 9. Counterfactuals; 10. Verification vs. Falsification; 11. Causal and non-causal narratives; 12. Reason; 13. Cause; 14. The causal paradox; 15. Mechanisms; 16. International relations as an ethical practice.