Practice, Prudence and International Relations Theory: Bourdieu, Aristotle and the Classical Realists

Year 2012, Volume: 4 Issue: 1, 27 - 46, 01.03.2012

Chris Brown

Abstract

The “practice turn” in International Relations is a promising development which
can be linked both to the Aristotelian notion of practical wisdom and the
classical realist virtue of “prudence”. There are family resemblances here, here
but also differences; for Aristotle and the realists, practical wisdom is associated
more with the intellect, while the practice turn places great emphasis on the
role of habitual behaviour. The practice turn offers an alternative to neopositivist
conceptions of the conduct of social enquiry – but the classical realists
could argue that they have already trodden this route in the past. Still, the
implications of Aristotle’s comment that “prudent young people do not seem to
be found” need to be confronted. Is “competent practice” something that can
be achieved by study, or is it only achievable in the context of the kind of lived
experience that some of the classical realists could claim, but which few modern
students of International Relations can aspire to. 

Keywords

Practice, Prudence, Realism, Bourdieu, Morgenthau

References

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