IR 210 1st Edition Lecture 17 Current LectureCompetition between theories helps reveal their strength and weaknesses and spurs subsequentrefinements, while revealing flaws in conventional wisdom. The need to consider competing ideas and theories extends to our discussion of approaches or ways of studying international relations.-Stephen WaltHow do we study IR?- Descriptive accounts- Historical narratives or stories- Puzzles and problem solving- Tradition of the 18th century enlightenment, rationalismo Description is not enough, we need explanation to develop a prescription - We can solve any problem our society is presented with- Those with knowledge will leadOur problems are manmade: therefore, they can solve by man. No problem of human destiny is beyond human beings. Man’s reason and spirit have often solved the seemingly unsolvable, and we believe they can do it again. -JFK- Natural law-universal order = human capacity to solve problemsA. Why theory? Without Theory we cannot hope to understand the world in which we live (Martin Wight) Theory shaped by events and events shaped by theory Reality  theory Agnew and Pike: We listen, look, and feel selectively and we also forget, condense, and distort the world around us We are all intellectually lazy, good feeling over good fact We use theory to make order out of complexity  Theories help us construct the world Marxists walk around with certain ideas in their head, Occupy Movement, trying to undo a system, dominant paradigmB. General types of theory in IR Intuitive/hunchesi. What you’ve heard, personal experience Causal/Empiricali. Testable propositions, searching for independent variable  Normativei. Theories that deal with questions of morality, ethics, tell us how to behave, very prescriptiveii. Just War Theory  Constitutive Theory i. Tells us what things are, what the construction of something isii. Constitution: tells us what state is and what state does Range of theory: tells us where it appliesi. Low: individual behavior, one singular personii. Middle: behavior of a group, all students at USC, all university studentsiii. Grand: group of everyone, all university students in the world King. Keohane, and Verba: A social science theory is a reasoned and precise speculation about the answer to a research question. i. Key word: speculation and not truthii. Research and discovery not searching for echoes Know all levels of analysis Robert Cox: we have two kinds of theory in IRi. Problem solving theory: accepts the dominant paradigm and discourse and works within it1. Paradigm: defines what is real and what is not real, we work to influence states2. Examples: Grotians and Kantiansa. Rational choice theory: maximize benefits minimize cost, looks at all options, know all options, assign values to optionsb. Prospect theory: look at different options and to see if we are risk accepting or risk adverse, Jimmy Carter in hostage crisisc. Poliheuristic theory: decision making is a two-phase process, setting up options, narrowing agenda (going from experience)  rational choice, assign values to options you’ve already decided on3. Most middle range theory fits here as wellii. Critical theory: challenges the dominant paradigm and all the assumptions that go with it, challenges the system, start with core assumptions and challenge assumptions made about IR 1. Examples: Marxistsa. Critical feminist theoryb. Marxist theory: foreign aid is bad because is perpetuates the core/periphery relationship, doesn’t fix things or transform systemc. Pacific or utopian theories How do we know we have a good theory?i. Transcends time and cultureii. Commonsensicaliii. Fruitfuliv. Parsimonious/concisev. Elegant/tight/importantvi. Powerful: explains a lot C. Michael Donelan: Ideas and theories in IR shaped by five core traditions Realism: Machiavelli, Hobbes, dominant perspective Rationalism: Grotian, Enlightenment, thinking people can change the world Natural law: moral and legal theory, moral standards that guide human behavior Historicism: context in a historical period Fideism: importance of religious doctrine Shape core debates, more normative and constitutive, each are intellectual traditionsD. Current research approaches in IR Hollis and Smith: The social sciences thrive on two intellectual traditions. One is founded on the triumphant rise of natural science since the 16th century, the other is rooted in the 19th century ideas of history and writing history from the inside.  Reflectivists: first used by Robert Keohane  post positivists, position/rejection of