國立臺灣大學政治科學論叢

Abstract / Chinese PDF Download

Normative theories in International Relations (IR) have long been marginalized after WWII. In recent years, however, the enterprise is now undergoing a revival. Various schools of thought in IR have begun to explore the normative dimensions of their respective approaches. Under this new current there also emerges within the camp of realism the call for reexamining the moral implications as well as the normative discourses of realism. Echoing with this call, this paper addresses Hans Morgenthau’s normative discourses first by identifying their origins in the long lineage of realism. But since his thought is derived from various different origins, such as Aristotle, St. Augustine, Friedrich Nietzsche, Max Weber, Carl Schmitt, to name just a few, it requires further interpretations to clarify his “real meaning”. Obviously, it is impossible to decipher with precision the thought of a giant which covers such a broad range of origins. Therefore, the author opts for selecting two thinkers who impact most strongly on Morgenthau’s normative thinking, namely Aristotle and Weber, and showing how Morgenthau’s normative discourses reflect their influences. The purpose of this study is to show that realism should not be bound by scientism, which is value-free; instead, it can be normatively laden, with its normative stance derived from a long lineage that simply cannot be undervalued. If we are to evaluate the normative stance of realism without prejudice, we will have to take on the thoughts of the giants from this lineage seriously.