The Quest for Knowledge in International Relations
The Quest for Knowledge in International Relations

Author: Richard Ned Lebow

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2022-04-14

Total Pages: 253

ISBN-13: 100911655X

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What do we mean by theory in international relations? What kinds of knowledge do theories seek? How do they stipulate it is found? How should we evaluate any resulting knowledge claims? What do answers to these questions tell us about the theory project in IR, and in the social sciences more generally? Lebow explores these questions in a critical evaluation of the positivist and interpretivist epistemologies. He identifies tensions and problems specific to each epistemology, and some shared by both, and suggests possible responses. By exploring the relationship between the foundations of theories and the empirical assumptions they encode, Lebow's analysis enables readers to examine in greater depth the different approaches to theory and their related research strategies. This book will be of interest to students and scholars of international relations theory and philosophy of social science.

Knowledge
Knowledge

Author: Steve Fuller

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2015-05-08

Total Pages: 330

ISBN-13: 1317592468

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The theory of knowledge, or epistemology, is often regarded as a dry topic that bears little relation to actual knowledge practices. Knowledge: The Philosophical Quest in History addresses this perception by showing the roots, developments and prospects of modern epistemology from its beginnings in the nineteenth century to the present day. Beginning with an introduction to the central questions and problems in theory of knowledge, Steve Fuller goes on to demonstrate that contemporary epistemology is enriched by its interdisciplinarity, analysing keys areas including: Epistemology as Cognitive Economics Epistemology as Divine Psychology Epistemology as Philosophy of Science Epistemology as Sociology of Science Epistemology and Postmodernism. A wide-ranging and historically-informed assessment of the ways in which man has - and continues to - pursue, question, contest, expand and shape knowledge, this book is essential reading anyone in the Humanities and Social Sciences interested in the history and practical application of epistemology.

The Quest
The Quest

Author: Will Freeman

Publisher: CreateSpace

Published: 2014-04-24

Total Pages: 210

ISBN-13: 9781495932328

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"One day Will and Cameron are headed to California on a father-son motorcycle trip. The next, after both have an inexplicable sense that they should go north, they change course. Later, they find themselves sitting in a Wyoming diner with Great Thunder, who speaks insightful truths about Will's life when they have known each other only a few short minutes. The Quest details Will's real-life journey of self-discovery that begins with a fortuitous meeting with a special mentor, and continues through the following years as he learns to apply Great Thunder's lessons about simplifying life and trusting intuition"--Back cover.

Ethics and the Quest for Wisdom
Ethics and the Quest for Wisdom

Author: Robert Kane

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2010-08-12

Total Pages:

ISBN-13: 1139490540

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Modernity has challenged the ancient ideal of a universal quest for wisdom, and today's world of conflicting cultures and values has raised further doubts regarding the possibility of objective ethical standards. Robert Kane refocuses the debate on the philosophical quest for wisdom, and argues that ethical principles about right action and the good life can be seen to emerge from that very quest itself. This book contends that the search for wisdom involves a persistent striving to overcome narrowness of vision that comes from the inevitable limitations of finite points of view. When applied to questions of value and the good life, this striving has ethical implications about the way we should treat ourselves and others. This study argues for the merits of this central thesis against alternative theories in contemporary normative ethics, and discusses its practical applications for social ethics, political philosophy, law and moral education.