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Anarchy Is What Individuals Make of It

McKenzie, Andrew
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1386024107

Abstract Details

2013, Master of Arts, Ohio State University, Political Science.
Theories and models of political behavior, while sometimes predicated on methodological individualism, routinely fail to consider the possibility and potential impacts of human free will—or the implications if humans lack free will. I argue that all models of social behavior, whether individualistic or holistic, must take at least an implicit position on whether individuals can make free (i.e., autonomous) cognitive and behavioral choices. However, social scientists’ everyday agnosticism on the question of free will threatens theoretical falsehood and practical irrelevance. I discuss the consequences for political science—focusing on international relations—of the existence or absence of free will. I use metapreferences as a modeling technique to help us conceptualize how free will and causation interrelate, and from this develop the argument that free will elevates the importance that natural science and technology play in creating preferred social outcomes. I close by applying the preceding arguments to the study of war.
Randall Schweller (Advisor)
Alexander Wendt (Committee Member)
134 p.
International Relations; Philosophy; Philosophy of Science; Political Science
International relations; free will; voluntarism; determinism; volition; autonomy; war; Fearon; technology; anarchy; structure; agency; neorealism; rational choice; rationality; metapreferences; social science; political science; philosophy of science

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • McKenzie, A. (2013). Anarchy Is What Individuals Make of It [Master's thesis, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1386024107

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • McKenzie, Andrew. Anarchy Is What Individuals Make of It. 2013. Ohio State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1386024107.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • McKenzie, Andrew. "Anarchy Is What Individuals Make of It." Master's thesis, Ohio State University, 2013. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1386024107

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1386024107
690
© 2013, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.