Torbjørn L. Knutsen Books

The book explores the evolution of moral and political philosophy in Germany from Kant to Nietzsche, highlighting the influence of the French Revolution on concepts of citizenship and duty. It examines key figures like Hegel, who contextualized morality within society, and Stirner, who rejected the state. Marx's shift from citizenship to class consciousness is also discussed. The text covers major philosophical currents such as rational idealism and communism, while also addressing the contributions of theologians like Schleiermacher, emphasizing the rich intellectual landscape of the era.

Torbjørn L. Knutsen introduces ideas on international relations expressed by thinkers from High Middle Ages to the present day and traces the development of four ever-present war, peace, wealth and power. The book counters the view that international relations has no theoretical tradition and shows that scholars, soldiers and statesmen have been speculating about the subject for the last 700 years.Beginning with the roots of the state and the concept of sovereignty in the Middle Ages, the author draws upon the insights of outstanding political thinkers – from Machiavelli and Hobbes to Hegel, Rousseau, and Marx and contemporary thinkers such as Woodrow Wilson, Lenin, Morgenthau and Walt – who profoundly influenced the emergence of a discrete discipline of international relations in the twentieth century. Fully revised and updated, the final section embraces more recent approaches to the study of international relations, most notably postmodernism and ecologism.

Kniha sleduje vývoj myšlení o mezinárodních vztazích od pozdního středověku do dneška, a to zejména s ohledem na čtyři základní témata: totiž války, získání a rozdělení hmotných statků, míru a moci. Autor se staví proti tvrzení, že mezinárodní vztahy nemají žádnou teoretickou tradici, a ukazuje, že vědci, vojáci i politici se teoretickými úvahami o mezinárodních vztazích zabývají již více než 700 let.