한스 모겐소(Hans Morgenthau)의 고전적 현실주의 국제정치이론 - 메타이론적 검토와 실천지(prudence)의 의미

HANS MORGENTHAU"S REALIST THEORY OF INTERNATIONAL POLITICS AND PRUDENCE

  본 논문은 현실주의 국제정치학자인 한스 모겐소(Hans Morgenthau)의 이론 중에서 이론과 실천의 관계를 논한다. 신현실주의와는 달리 고전적 현실주의자로서의 모겐소는 합리주의적, 실증주의적 관점에서 파악된 이론과 실천의 관계를 비판하고, 국제정치의 과학적 인식에 대한 회의주의를 바탕으로 실천에 대한 독특한 지식의 계발을 강조한다. 소위 프루던스(prudence) 혹은 실천지에 대한 논의로서 모겐소는 이의 본질과 습득방법에 대한 논의를 중시하고 있다. 이론과 실천의 관계에 대한 모겐소의 논의는 비단 고전적 현실주의의 메타이론적 입장에 대한 반성의 측면에서 뿐 아니라, 신현실주의와 고전적 현실주의의 차별성, 현실주의와 여타 국제정치이론 패러다임과의 차별성의 측면에서도 중요한 의미를 가진다 할 수 있다. 더욱이 1990년대 국제정치 이론계가 실증주의적 인식론을 극복하려는 반성을 심화시키고 있는 입장에서 더욱 의미를 가진다 하겠다.

&nbsp;&nbsp;The purpose of this article is to discuss Hans Morgenthau&quot; s political realism, especially his metatheoretical elements of realism and the relationship between theory and practice. I argue that, although Morgenthau did not neglect rational elements in politics susceptible to positivist or rationalist theory, he still espoused the idea of non-rationalism or anti-rationalism in its strong form by retaining what I call epistemological, ontological, ethical/practical skepticism.<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;To support this idea, I discuss his view about the nature and limit of social and political knowledge, the issue of how his epistemological assumption affects his basic framework of political realist theory, his views on human nature, and the analysis of the actual empirical cases of his time. Morgenthau, living in the period in which the intellectual conflict between the traditional, historical methodology and the newly rising positivist, scientist methodology became increasingly prominent, developed his own view as to the nature and limit of social and political knowledge. Skepticism concerning the possibility of establishing a reliable rationalist or scientist epistemology as in the fields of natural science has marked Morgenthau&quot;s thinking about international relations theory. Political realist philosophy that he had developed is, then, based on his epistemological skepticism, and distinguished from other realists&quot; efforts to theorize international relations by employing natural science, positivist epistemological assumptions.<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;Morgenthau, unlike popular identification of his realism as moral skepticism or realpolitik by others, tried to find a way to apply moral principle to fleeting circumstances. The reason why we need prudence and practical wisdom to apply moral principles is that we cannot predict and know the political common life by reconstructing it on the basis of rationalist epistemology. He is skeptical about the possibility of knowing the external reality on the basis of the rationalist autonomy principle. Morgenthau stressed the need for practical wisdom in the form of political intuition. The fact that political intuition is hard to acquire by rational analysis of reality gives us a challenge that rationalists cannot meet.