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Leviathan, Sovereignty, Anarchy, and Peace
About this film
Hello, my name is Protesilaos Stavrou. This seminar is the third entry in a series about Realism in international relations. The first item was about the myth of the Ring of Gyges and exceptionalism in world politics . The second was about the Melian Dialogue, Power, and Justice . I recommend you study these two before following this presentation, as I will be making references to them. Today I will talk about the relationship between sovereignty and peace. The main argument is that peace depends on the universal recognition of a supreme political authority by all members of the political collective. Where sovereignty is contested, there are incentives for circumventing the rules, for creating new conditions, setting up a new order, which ultimately lead to tensions and strife. The first part of the analysis will cover some the ideas presented in Thomas Hobbes’ magnum opus the Leviathan . We will discuss Hobbes’ account of human nature and its relationship to political organisation. Then we will apply those findings to international affairs and conclude with some general remarks on Realism. Leviathan and the war of all against all Thomas Hobbes sees human nature as inherently indiv…
Directors & creators
Protesilaos Stavrou
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