BETWEEN PERPETUAL WAR AND PERPETUAL PEACE: LIBERAL SOCIAL ORDER AS PERPETUAL (IN)SECURITY

Abstract

The past forty years have seen a growing number of publications focusing on security due to its increasing role in (re)shaping internal and external political processes. However, despite its growing popularity as an academic object, far too little attention has been paid to the historico-philosophical roots of the concept from key liberal political thinkers. This paper therefore explores how security has been conceptualized in relation to concepts like war, property, and peace, in Hobbes, Locke and Kant respectively. The paper argues that security is the key element in the fabrication of the liberal social order. The demand for security is never innocent but always deeply connected to the demand for a specific form of social order. Security is neither neutral, nor natural; rather, it is highly political. It thus must be regarded as a proactive rather than reactive idea or practice. The philosophico-historical validity of these arguments can be shown by (re)reading (proto)liberal classical texts.

Keywords

• Hobbes,Locke,Kant,Security,Liberal Social Order

BETWEEN PERPETUAL WAR AND PERPETUAL PEACE: LIBERAL SOCIAL ORDER AS PERPETUAL (IN)SECURITY

Öz

Geçtiğimiz kırk yılda, güvenliğin iç/dış politik süreçleri (yeniden) şekillendirmede artan rolüne bağlı olarak güvenlik kavramına odaklanan yayınların sayısında artış görüldü. Gelgelelim, akademik bir nesne olarak artan popülerliğine rağmen kilit liberal düşünürlerde kavramın felsefi-tarihi köklerini göstermek için çok az çalışma yapılmıştır. Bu makale, Hobbes, Locke ve Kant’ta sırasıyla savaş, mülkiyet ve barış gibi kavramlarla ilişkili olarak güvenliğin kavramsallaştırılma biçimlerini araştırmaktadır. Çalışma güvenliğin liberal toplumsal düzenin üretiminde kilit unsur olduğunu ileri sürmektedir. Güvenlik talebi asla masum değildir ve her zaman belirli bir toplumsal düzen talebi ile derinden bağlantılıdır. Güvenlik ne nötrtür ne de doğaldır; fakat bir hayli politiktir. Bu nedenle de reaktif bir fikir ya da pratikten çok proaktif olarak görülmelidir. Bu argümanların felsefi-tarihsel geçerliliği klasik (proto) liberal metinlerin (yeniden) okunmasıyla gösterilebilir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Hobbes,Locke,Kant,Güvenlik,Liberal Toplumsal Düzen

References

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