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Summary E.H Carr The Realist Critique Chapter 5
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Key passages and quotes highlighted from chapter 5 of E.H Carr's realist critique with citations.
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E.H. Carr., (2001) The twenty years' crisis, 1919-1939 : an introduction to thestudy of international relations, null Palgrave Chapter 5: The Realist Critique
The foundations of realism
The free essential tenants implicit in Machiavelli’s doctrine are the foundation stones of the realist
philosophy. Firstly, history is a sequence of cause and effect, this course can be analysed and
understood by intellectual effort, but not directed by imagination. Secondly, theory does not create
practise, but practise theory, in Machiavelli’s words, “good councils whencesoever they come, are
born of the wisdom of the Prince, and not the wisdom of the Prince from good
councils .”(Machiavelli,The Prince chp 15,p 121)Thirdly, politics are not a function of ethics, but
ethics of politics. Men ‘are kept honest by constraints (^ chp 32,p 193).’ Machiavelli’s recognised the
importance of morality, but thought that there could be no effective morality where there was no
effective authority. Morality is the product of power. (Carr,2001:62)
“Before the names of Justin unjust can have place”, said Hobbs, “there must be some coercive
power”. (Carr,2001:63) (Hobbes Leviathan chp 15)
Spinoza believed that practical statesman had contributed more to the understanding of politics
than men of theory.” (Carr,2001:63) (Spinoza, Tractaus Politicus, chapter 1 page 2-3)
Modern realism differs, however, in one important respect from that of the 16th and 17th centuries.
Both utopianism and realism accepted and incorporated in their philosophies that 18th century
belief in progress. Utopianism grafted its belief in progress on the belief in an absolute ethical
standard which remained ex hypothesi static. Realism, having no such sheet anchor, became more
and more dynamic and relativist. Purpose became part of the inner essence of the historical
progress; And mankind was moving forward toward the goal which was left undefined or interpreted
differently by different philosophers. The ‘historical school’ of realists has its home in Germany, and
its development is traced with the great names of Hegel and Marx’s. Its influence in the middle and
later years of the 19th century it influenced many branches of thought and has freed realism from
the pessimistic colouring from thinkers like Hobbes and Machiavelli. (Carr,2001:63) – some
paraphrasing.
The substitution of reason for divine Providence enabled Hegel to produce, for the first time, of
philosophy based on the conception of a rational historical process. Hegel, while assuming a regular
and orderly process, was content to find its directing force in a metaphysical attraction – the
Zeitgeist. The economic interpretation of history was not invented, but developed and popularised,
by Marx. About the same time Buckle propounded a geographical interpretation of history which
convinced him that human affairs were ‘permeated by one glorious principle of universal and under
deviating regularity’ and this has been arrived in the form of science of Geopolitick, whose inventor
describes geography as a ‘political categorical imperative’. Spengler believed that events were
determined by quasibiological laws governing the growth and decline of civilizations. (Carr,2001:64)
The relativity of thought
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