Freudian roots of political realism: the importance of Sigmund Freud to Hans J. Morgenthau's theory of international power politics

Abstract

The article unveils the intellectual indebtedness of Hans J. Morgenthau's realist theory of international power politics to Freudian meta-and group psychology. It examines an unpublished Morgenthau essay about Freudian anthropology written in 1930, placing this work within the context of Morgenthau's magna opera, the 1946 Scientific Man vs. Power Politics and the 1948 Politics among Nations. The article concludes that Morgenthau's international theory is ultimately based on the early instinct theory of Sigmund Freud. Freud is thus to be seen as one of Morgenthau's intellectual fathers. A second main argument refers to the theoretical tradition that Morgenthau has founded within International Relations (IR), namely: political realism. By investigating its core principles, it is argued that realism also may be rooted in Freudian thought. Throughout, the article calls upon IR, Morgenthau scholarship, and international-political theory to take Freud seriously.

Aristotle, Epicurus, Morgenthau and the Political Ethics of the Lesser Evil

“…It is important to note that Aristotle considers the rational part to be the superior and as such the irrational part should obey it. Morgenthau, influenced perhaps by Freud, sees human reason as an island in a dark and stormy sea (Molloy 2006: 87, 167;Schuett 2007). The relationship between the rational and irrational in Morgenthau's work is therefore very different, culminating in his call in the fifth edition of Politics Among Nations for a 'counter-theory' of politics stressing the role of irrationality in human affairs.…”

Interlocuting classical realism and critical theory: Negotiating ‘divides’ in international relations theory

“…A third movement of re-reading classical realism is generally characterized by a greater distance from the discipline of IR, searching for legacies in the discipline beyond IR’s mainstream self-understanding and narrowly delineated traditions. These endeavours widened even further the intellectual context and lineages of classical realism, generating detailed studies of not only the figures discussed above but also a diversity of influences on and relationships with classical realism ranging from American pragmatists to Sigmund Freud, Weber, Carl Schmitt, Hannah Arendt and further back to the impact of Epicurean philosophy, Aristotle and Thomas Reid (among others Behr, 2013; Lang, 2004; Molloy, 2009; Rösch, 2013; Scheuerman, 2007; Schuett, 2007; Tjalve, 2008; Turner and Mazur, 2009; an early attempt, see Barkawi, 1998). At the same time, sophisticated intellectual histories of the discipline of IR and the place of classical realism within post-war social science emerged as vibrant and increasingly influential areas of research (Behr, 2009; Cesa, 2009; Cozette, 2008; Guilhot, 2008; Neascu, 2010; an early attempt, see Koskenniemi, 2000).…”

Redesigning human nature: Moral bioenhancement and the quest for the resolution of political conflicts

“…O tipo de posição que, em teorias das relações internacionais, procura explicar a emergência de uer as e conflitos políticos com base em uma teoria sobre a natureza egoísta de seres humanos costuma ser denominado "realismo de natureza humana" . A literatura sobre o realismo de natureza humana é bastante extensa, mas não é minha intenção discutir aqui esses textos (Jütersonke, 2012;Scheuerman, 2012Scheuerman, , 2010Scheuerman, , 2007Behr, 2010, p. 210-225;Brown, 2011;Kaufman, 2006;Craig, 2007;Schuett, 2010Schuett, , 2007Mo loy, 2006, p. 82-85;Freyberg-Inan, 2003;Booth, 1991;Speer, 1968). Minha intenção é, antes, salientar o quanto al uns teóricos do bioaprimoramento moral, em suas re ectivas descrições dos cenários perturbadores que a humanidade pode vir a enfrentar no futuro, endossam implicitamente esse tipo de posição.…”