ABSTRACT
Hans J. Morgenthau is considered the father of modern classical realism. As a seminal figure, accounts of his version of political realism are a compulsory component of many an Introduction to International Relations module or introductory textbooks. And, along with his iconic status there exists a mythological Morgenthau: a caricature who appears and reappears in textbooks as the scholar who claimed that the study of international politics should be scientific. After all, one of his principles of political realism famously states that ‘politics, like society in general, is governed by objective laws which have their roots in human nature’ (Morgenthau 1964: 4). Those critical of political realism have even presented the mythological Morgenthau as a positivist ‘village idiot’ who, being of simple mind, unproblematically suggests that the academic discipline of International Relations can and should be understood objectively as a science.2 Taking such a positivistic stance would lead us to understanding IR as the pursuit of facts and it would eschew all, non-objective, questions of value such as ethics. To be sure, there are some people who believe this but, whoever they are, Morgenthau certainly isn’t one of them.3 Personally, I have found that this great man’s body of work is so much more interesting and problematic than these little introductions would have us believe. The first thing I noticed when I actually read Morgenthau (and not accounts of him) was that any sustained reading beyond the first few pages of subsequent editions of Politics Among Nations, quickly revealed that questions concerning the morality of international politics are not only addressed, but indeed, are central and constitutive of his form of political realism.4 Accordingly, he is a central and fascinating scholar for us to explore when it comes to universality, ethics and International Relations.
