Political realism in apocalyptic times / Alison McQueen.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

McQueen, Alison (Alison E. J.), author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Political realism.

Political science--Philosophy.

Political science.

International relations--Philosophy.

International relations.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xiii, 235 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Place of Publication:

Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2018.

Summary:

From climate change to nuclear war to the rise of demagogic populists, our world is shaped by doomsday expectations. In this path-breaking book, Alison McQueen shows why three of history's greatest political realists feared apocalyptic politics. Niccolò Machiavelli in the midst of Italy's vicious power struggles, Thomas Hobbes during England's bloody civil war, and Hans Morgenthau at the dawn of the thermonuclear age all saw the temptation to prophesy the end of days. Each engaged in subtle and surprising strategies to oppose apocalypticism, from using its own rhetoric to neutralize its worst effects to insisting on a clear-eyed, tragic acceptance of the human condition. Scholarly yet accessible, this book is at once an ambitious contribution to the history of political thought and a work that speaks to our times.

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 05 Jan 2018).

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

1-108-59299-6

1-316-58830-0

1-108-63636-5