- Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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... very little, if any, attempt to elaborate just what such an epistemology might involve ... argues that it might seem attractive to base epistemological choices on a prioritising of those accounts that are 'more compre hensive, or... more
... very little, if any, attempt to elaborate just what such an epistemology might involve ... argues that it might seem attractive to base epistemological choices on a prioritising of those accounts that are 'more compre hensive, or more self-reflexive about ... 14 Nietzsche, Genealogy, p. 119 ...
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ABSTRACT Change seems to be the leitmotif of the contemporary world. Globalization, we are led to believe, is changing everything. Time and space are no longer what they once were; class structures and gender relations are said to be... more
ABSTRACT Change seems to be the leitmotif of the contemporary world. Globalization, we are led to believe, is changing everything. Time and space are no longer what they once were; class structures and gender relations are said to be undergoing transformation; there are increased hopes for disarmament, paradoxically existing alongside growing fears about nuclear proliferation and claims that interstate war may now be obsolete; existing state boundaries, and the nature of the state itself, are also in question. The aim of this chapter is to explore the causes, courses, and consequences of global social change from the vantage point of morphogenesis. The focus of this chapter is on international relations and the underlying assumption is that social change anywhere in the contemporary world can only be examined from this global context. The chapter also argues that morphogenesis provides us with a unique framework for dealing with social change at the global level.
Research Interests: Sociology, Social Theory, Economics, Empiricism, Personality, and 39 moreGovernment, Leadership, Hegel, Complexity, Essentialism, Habitus, Scientific Realism, Individualism, Self, Emergence, Reductionism, French, War, Structuralism, Subjectivity, Corporate Responsibility, Agency, Institutions, Moral Character, Positivism, Collectivism, Boundaries, State, Social Context, Moral Responsibility, Organisational culture, Biological, Rom, Instrumentalism, Social structures, Corporate, Social Order, Definitions, Nuremberg Trials, Archer, Person, Organisations, Deutsch, and Ole
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This chapter provides an overview of the key philosophy of social science debates within International Relations (IR) theory.1 Often IR theorists do not address the philosophy of social science explicitly, but nevertheless philosophical... more
This chapter provides an overview of the key philosophy of social science debates within International Relations (IR) theory.1 Often IR theorists do not address the philosophy of social science explicitly, but nevertheless philosophical issues are implicit in their claims. Since the mid- ...
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... The AgentStructure Problem and Institutional Racism. Colin Wight. Article first published online: 9 DEC 2003. DOI: 10.1111/j.0032-3217.2003.00454.x. Issue. ... How to Cite. Wight, C. (2003), The AgentStructure Problem and... more
... The AgentStructure Problem and Institutional Racism. Colin Wight. Article first published online: 9 DEC 2003. DOI: 10.1111/j.0032-3217.2003.00454.x. Issue. ... How to Cite. Wight, C. (2003), The AgentStructure Problem and Institutional Racism. Political Studies, 51: 706721. ...
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... To the post-positivists, all of this 4. Thomas S. Kuhn, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (Chicago, IL: University of Chicago ... 7. Kuhn, op. ... See, for example, Yosef Lapid, The Third Debate: On the Prospects of... more
... To the post-positivists, all of this 4. Thomas S. Kuhn, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (Chicago, IL: University of Chicago ... 7. Kuhn, op. ... See, for example, Yosef Lapid, The Third Debate: On the Prospects of International Theory in a Post-Positivist Era', International Studies ...
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... scientific knowledge is embedded within empirical regularities; the assumption that the ultimate goal of ... of law-like generalisations; the positivist account of causation; and, the argument that the ... science is the view that the... more
... scientific knowledge is embedded within empirical regularities; the assumption that the ultimate goal of ... of law-like generalisations; the positivist account of causation; and, the argument that the ... science is the view that the entities postulated by mature scientific theories (electrons ...
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ABSTRACT The Conduct of Inquiry is a tour de force that carefully unpacks the idea of ‘inquiry’ in International Relations and reconstructs debates surrounding this issue in a way Jackson believes will foster genuine debate and,... more
ABSTRACT The Conduct of Inquiry is a tour de force that carefully unpacks the idea of ‘inquiry’ in International Relations and reconstructs debates surrounding this issue in a way Jackson believes will foster genuine debate and, potentially at least, facilitate progress in the discipline. However, it is not without its problems. In this contribution to the forum, I present three challenges to Jackson’s position. Firstly, I challenge the validity of the monism–dualism split that he believes underpins all approaches to the field. Secondly, I take issue with Jackson’s account of science and methodology. Thirdly, I briefly highlight some problems with Jackson’s account of pluralism and argue that it fails to provide the conditions of possibility for ‘engagement’ that Jackson is so committed to.
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In this short reply to Friedrich Kratochwil I respond to some of his criticisms of my interpretation of his 'safe bet' article published in this Journal. Two important issues seem to be at stake. First is the role that the real... more
In this short reply to Friedrich Kratochwil I respond to some of his criticisms of my interpretation of his 'safe bet' article published in this Journal. Two important issues seem to be at stake. First is the role that the real world plays in theory choice and second in whether material ...
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ABSTRACT In this short rejoinder to Friedrich Kratochwil's plea for a `pragmatic approach to theory building', I argue that, despite his claims to the contrary, his position essentially rests on a curious form of... more
ABSTRACT In this short rejoinder to Friedrich Kratochwil's plea for a `pragmatic approach to theory building', I argue that, despite his claims to the contrary, his position essentially rests on a curious form of foundationalism and relativism. The problem, as I identify it, is that Kratochwil's attempt to move contemporary debate forward fails because he treats the issue only in epistemological terms. Kratochwil is deeply suspicious of the very idea of the `real world' and reduces it to an infinitely malleable construct of our ways of thinking and talking about it. This means that he remains trapped in the epistemological cave and is condemned to an endless quest to solve problems that have no solution. But the real world is not simply something that we think and talk about but, rather, we engage with it in practice and as such it offers resistance to our attempts to grasp it. Hence, it is not a subject without a voice in the global conversation. This is an important theoretical limit, particularly in relation to contemporary issues surrounding global environmental problems.Journal of International Relations and Development (2007) 10, 40-56. doi:10.1057/palgrave.jird.1800109
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ABSTRACT Books reviewed in this article: Torbjørn L. Knutsen, The Rise and Fall of World Orders Martin Van Creveld, The Rise and Decline of the State Bill McSweeney, Security, Identity and Interests: A Sociology of International Relations
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... terrorism. I attempt this by briefly looking at contemporary 'Islamic' terrorism in terms of my theoretical discussion.8 The problem of definition ... institutions', Page 5. THEORISINGTERRORISM: THE STATE, STRUCTURE AND... more
... terrorism. I attempt this by briefly looking at contemporary 'Islamic' terrorism in terms of my theoretical discussion.8 The problem of definition ... institutions', Page 5. THEORISINGTERRORISM: THE STATE, STRUCTURE AND HISTORY 103 but ...
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ABSTRACT
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... And part of the problem is that critical realism does not attempt to occupy some middle groundbetween two extremes in the hope of reaching an accommodation that ... Critical realism is such a position and this explains part of the... more
... And part of the problem is that critical realism does not attempt to occupy some middle groundbetween two extremes in the hope of reaching an accommodation that ... Critical realism is such a position and this explains part of the sociological antipathy (or is it apathy) towards it. ...
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... Daniel Chernilo, Social Theory of the Nation State: The Political Forms of Modernity Beyond Methodological Nationalism. Colin Wight. Full Text: PDF. Equinox Publishing Ltd, Unit S3, Kelham House, 3 Lancaster Street, Sheffield, S3 8AF,... more
... Daniel Chernilo, Social Theory of the Nation State: The Political Forms of Modernity Beyond Methodological Nationalism. Colin Wight. Full Text: PDF. Equinox Publishing Ltd, Unit S3, Kelham House, 3 Lancaster Street, Sheffield, S3 8AF, UK.