Quote from IR theory just blew my mind

[gildwulf]

Hey all,

I'm a grad student at UChicago in International Relations and just stumbled across something in my readings that you guys might want to fight over:

"Carr's [a Realist theorist] preference for a humane and democratic governance of the international system betrays a fundamental truth. Although men desire peace, it is not their highest value. If it were, peace and peaceful change could easily be achieved; a people need only refuse to defend itself".

Do you agree or disagree and why? Are men inherently peaceful and good? If so, how can you explain what he's saying in this passage?

[KeysrSoze]

Thats just twisting semantics. Its like saying it takes 2 to fight. If one of them is not fighting or defending themself, its not a fight, true enough; its a beat-down. Peaceful it is not, though.

[DougShrapnel]

[ QUOTE ]
Hey all,

I'm a grad student at UChicago in International Relations and just stumbled across something in my readings that you guys might want to fight over:

"Carr's [a Realist theorist] preference for a humane and democratic governance of the international system betrays a fundamental truth. Although men desire peace, it is not their highest value. If it were, peace and peaceful change could easily be achieved; a people need only refuse to defend itself".

Do you agree or disagree and why? Are men inherently peaceful and good? If so, how can you explain what he's saying in this passage?

[/ QUOTE ]Men are inherently blank, if not blank certainly raw, and unformed.

Peace and peaceful change thru not defending oneself. How does that encourage peace? Peace is acomplished thru not attacking people. Defense or Non Defense does nothing in the equation of peace. But it is an interesting quote.

[gildwulf]

It's from Robert Gilpin's 'War and Change in World Politics'. I forgot to mention.

[sexdrugsmoney]

</font><blockquote><font class="small">En respuesta a:</font><hr />
Peace is acomplished thru not attacking people.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is why Anarchism is a pipe dream, because someone will always find a way to capitalize on the lack of organization.

[DougShrapnel]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Peace is acomplished thru not attacking people.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is why Anarchism is a pipe dream, because someone will always find a way to capitalize on the lack of organization.

[/ QUOTE ]Agreed, it seems like every to date political structure is doomed to failure, not enough knowlege and agreement on basic issues.

[gildwulf]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Peace is acomplished thru not attacking people.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is why Anarchism is a pipe dream, because someone will always find a way to capitalize on the lack of organization.

[/ QUOTE ]

You're talking about domestic structures, right? Because most people studying international relations would argue that the international system is anarchic.

[bearly]

someone would actually take the highlighted part seriously? some of the stupidest things imaginable have been said in famous lectures from diverse folks such as j.k.galbraith and wm. buckley. b

[sexdrugsmoney]

</font><blockquote><font class="small">En respuesta a:</font><hr />
</font><blockquote><font class="small">En respuesta a:</font><hr />
</font><blockquote><font class="small">En respuesta a:</font><hr />
Peace is acomplished thru not attacking people.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is why Anarchism is a pipe dream, because someone will always find a way to capitalize on the lack of organization.

[/ QUOTE ]

You're talking about domestic structures, right? Because most people studying international relations would argue that the international system is anarchic.

[/ QUOTE ]

Explain.

[purnell]

[ QUOTE ]
Although men desire peace, it is not their highest value.

[/ QUOTE ]

This part seems pretty much accurate. If we all valued peace above all else, no one would ever do anything that could piss somebody else off. Clearly that's not the case.

[bobman0330]

[ QUOTE ]
Do you agree or disagree and why? Are men inherently peaceful and good? If so, how can you explain what he's saying in this passage?

[/ QUOTE ]

Of course that's true. People will openly admit that they value peace less than other things (e.g., self-defense, self-determination, prevention of genocide).

This truth does not mean that people are not inherently peaceful and good, whatever that may mean. It merely indicates that there are things (possibly "goodness") that are valued more highly than peace.