Human nature and the political

criticism and countercriticism

pp. 89-124

in: Robert Schuett, Political realism, Freud, and human nature in international relations, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan, 2010

Abstract

The two preceding chapters argued that the concept of human nature is not dead. Whether classical realism or post-classical realism, almost all contemporary realist international-political theory is infused with (hidden) assumptions about human nature. Still, both classicals and post-classicals had to be defended against unsubstantiated criticism. Exposing the human-nature lie of post-classical realism, however, helped to shed light on how it put the philosophy of political realism in an intellectually uncomfortable and defensive position vis-vis its critics. This is unsatisfactory requiring realist international-political theory to deal anew with the human-nature question, a question that post-classicals thought was dealt with more than half a century ago: Does political realism require the concept of human nature? Does political realism require a conception of Man functioning as the philosophical basis of its forays into the international-political?