ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the extreme form of moral skepticism about international relations, first in its realist, and then in its Hobbesian, form. Hobbesian skepticism about international relations rests on an inadequate view of morality. Realist writings display many serious misunderstandings of the nature of morality and these misunderstandings contribute to the realists' skepticism about the role of morality in international affairs. To an alarming degree the history of international relations is a history of selfishness and brutality. The realists argue that international relations must be viewed under the category of power and that the conduct of nations is, and should be, guided and judged exclusively by the amoral requirements of the national interest. International relations occupies an autonomous realm of power politics exempt from moral judgment and immune to moral restraint. Thomas Hobbes's doctrines are open to many interpretations, and every major interpretation has had its influence on the theory of international relations.
