Theory of World Security (Cambridge Studies in International Relations, Series Number 105)

What is real? What can we know? How might we act? This book sets out to answer these fundamental philosophical questions in a radical and original theory of security for our times. Arguing that the concept of security in world politics has long been imprisoned by conservative thinking, Ken Booth explores security as a precious instrumental value which gives individuals and groups the opportunity to pursue the invention of humanity rather than live determined and diminished lives. Booth suggests that human society globally is facing a set of converging historical crises. He looks to critical social theory and radical international theory to develop a comprehensive framework for understanding the historical challenges facing global business-as-usual and for planning to reconstruct a more cosmopolitan future. Theory of World Security is a challenge both to well-established ways of thinking about security and alternative approaches within critical security studies. Cover......Page 1 Half-title......Page 3 Series-title......Page 5 Title......Page 7 Copyright......Page 8 Dedication......Page 9 Contents......Page 11 Preface......Page 14 Acknowledgements......Page 16 Introduction......Page 21 Part I Context......Page 29 1 Present imperfect: future tense......Page 31 Seeing but not seeing......Page 32 Sanity without sense......Page 41 Ceaseless exploration......Page 47 The prisms and prison of realism......Page 51 2 Thinking theory critically......Page 57 Critical global theorising......Page 58 Perlenfischerei I: critical theory......Page 60 The Frankfurt school......Page 61 The Gramscian tradition......Page 65 Key ideas......Page 68 The legacy of Marx......Page 69 Key ideas......Page 73 Critical international relations theory......Page 74 Perlenfischerei II: radical international theory......Page 78 The World Order school......Page 79 Key ideas......Page 83 Peace studies/peace research......Page 84 Key ideas......Page 88 Feminist theorising......Page 89 Historical sociology......Page 95 Key ideas......Page 99 Social idealism......Page 100 Emancipatory realism......Page 107 Why is a critical theory of security necessary?......Page 108 Why ‘emancipatory realism’?......Page 110 Part II Theory......Page 113 Security beyond survival......Page 115 1. Insecurity is a life-determining condition......Page 121 2. Security is an instrumental value......Page 125 3. Security is a powerful political word......Page 128 4. Security is a derivative concept......Page 129 Emancipation and ideals......Page 130 Enlightenment versus totalitarianism......Page 136 Two cheers for progress......Page 144 1. Even if progress in the past has sometimes been associated with hubris, it does not follow that the concept is fundamentally flawed......Page 145 2. It is possible to talk of moral progress......Page 147 3. Societies must have an idea of the ideal......Page 150 5. What is needed is more enlightenment, not its rejection......Page 152 1. Community is a fuzzy word......Page 154 2. Community is a politicised concept......Page 156 4 Deepening, broadening, reconstructing......Page 169 Security as a derivative concept......Page 170 Marxism......Page 175 Racism......Page 176 Security as society’s agenda......Page 180 Security as political practice......Page 192 What is real?......Page 202 What can we know?......Page 212 How might we act?......Page 218 Ordering reality......Page 226 Transcendental theory......Page 229 Biology is freedom......Page 230 What is is human sociality......Page 232 Cognition is first......Page 235 History is made up as we go along......Page 239 Was does not equal is or will be......Page 241 To be human is to make meaning......Page 243 The individual is the ultimate referent......Page 245 Reality is holistic......Page 248 Pure theory......Page 250 Truth is indispensable yet inaccessible......Page 251 An anchorage is the securest basis for knowledge......Page 254 Critical distance is truer than objectivity......Page 256 Knowledge has interests......Page 258 Power and knowledge are related, though not simply......Page 260 Problem-solving theory replicates, critical theory emancipates......Page 262 Positivism is problematic, empirical enquiry critical......Page 264 Theory is constitutive......Page 267 Practical theory......Page 269 This is not the best of all possible worlds......Page 270 A better world is a process not an end-point......Page 271 Means are ends......Page 273 Emancipation is the politics of inventing humanity......Page 276 Politics is the sphere of freedom......Page 281 There is nothing so practical as a good theory......Page 284 Community is the site of security......Page 288 Equality is the condition for humanity......Page 293 The pull of the world......Page 297 Part III Dimensions......Page 299 7 Business-as-usual......Page 301 The ‘cracked looking-glass’......Page 302 Are we all Americans now?......Page 309 Is Clausewitz still relevant?......Page 325 Is human security possible?......Page 341 Can nature survive?......Page 347 Regarding pain......Page 357 Promoting equality......Page 367 1. The reduction of ‘unjustifiable inequalities’......Page 370 2. The provision of egalitarian capabilities......Page 371 Humanising globalisation......Page 380 1. The intellectual challenge......Page 396 3. The spiritual challenge......Page 397 Inventing humanity......Page 398 1. Ethics......Page 403 2. Epistemology......Page 405 3. Politics......Page 406 Part IV Futures......Page 413 9 The New Twenty Years’ Crisis......Page 415 The Great Reckoning......Page 416 Epochal crisis......Page 418 Structural crisis......Page 421 Decisional crisis......Page 423 1. Security dilemmas and strategic challenges......Page 424 2. Globalisation threats......Page 427 3. Population stress......Page 428 4. The destroying of nature......Page 429 5. Governance overload......Page 433 6. A season of unreason......Page 436 Remember us?......Page 439 10 A long hot century......Page 447 Means /ends......Page 448 1. Political violence......Page 449 2. Democracy......Page 452 3. Law......Page 454 4. Human rights......Page 457 5. Out of/into Africa......Page 458 Beliefs and norms......Page 461 ‘The odd thing about assassins’......Page 473 Daylight?......Page 485 Index......Page 491 Cambridge studies in international relations......Page 510