Rediscovering the ‘Meaning of Science’? Hans Morgenthau and the ethics debate in quantum IR

Abstract

The concept of science has long played an important role in defining the field of international relations, both in its broader epistemological debates and in the formation of distinct research traditions. I argue that the emerging quantum approaches to international relations theory destabilize the conventional bifurcations of scientific and humanistic approaches to international relations, and that paying attention to this uncertainty can help build a broader understanding of not only quantum international relations but the field as a whole. Through a close reading of Hans Morgenthau’s commentaries on science in Scientific Man Versus Power Politics and Science: Servant or Master, this article argues that the ‘ethics objection’ that Morgenthau leveled against scientism is in fact overcome by quantum international relations.