REALISM – WHAT IS IT EXACTLY?

Well, it was weekend and it was best time for all of us to study new philosophies. Well, searching through Wikipedia about political philosophies, there was a eye catching word called Realism!  To sum it up, A Realism is a political philosophy based on various premises. The first is that a world should be seen in terms of relative power. The theory applies both domestically and internationally, focusing on the individual and the state respectively. Realism asserts that all states and individuals are to work for their own self-interest, and that since there is a scarcity of resources in the world, there will be conflict. This leads to the premise that the basic state of affairs in the world is anarchic. War is inherent in the nature of a nation-state, according to Thomas Hobbes.

The world is a battle-zone, with each party acting to protect itself, increase its power base, etc. Along with this is an idea that connects to the notion of relative power: one can only increase one’s power by decreasing that of another. Morality is virtually non-existent (according to the realist doctrine). ‘Right’ or ‘good’ is defined by self-interest. If a certain action will give you a ‘leg up’, so to speak, then it is justified, and not only can you carry it out, but you should.

Some call realism a closed theory, saying that it can refute any action of apparent selflessness simply by saying that there must have been some ulterior motive behind the deed. To confirm this requires an in-depth knowledge of the functioning of the state, its officials, their intentions, etc.

Famous realists you may have heard of:  Thucydides, Machiavelli, Hobbes, St. Thomas Aquinas, Rousseau, Woodrow Wilson