ABSTRACT
Morgenthau’s magnum opus Politics Among Nations gives a good overview of his classical realism, especially the first chapter in which he explains his six principles of political realism. Morgenthau has keen eye for religion as a cooperating factor, but he is careful not to attribute too much importance to religion. This has to do with considerations of a political–theological nature. Morgenthau is wary of some forms of theology in which the line between religion and politics disappears and religious goals are sought through political means. At the same time, he is resistant to a radical separation between religion and politics, as if politics could do without a transcendental basis. Other considerations that explain his dealing with religion are of a scientific–philosophical nature, such as his view on science and political theory, and a political–philosophical nature: view on the autonomy of the political. This chapter starts with an introduction to how I see Morgenthau’s classical realism and continues with the political–theological, scientific–philosophical, and political–philosophical points.
