Search results for ""author peter lawler""

A comprehensive and accessible introduction to international relations theories with a unique emphasis on positioning IR theories within their social, political, and historical contexts to help students fully understand IR theories and their influence. A comprehensive first introduction to international relations theories which encourages students to fully understand the purpose and function of IR theory. Readers are introduced to each IR theory and asked to consider the social, political, and historical context within which the theory emerged. Pedagogical features such as 'Think Critically' and 'Twisting the lens' provide the tools students need to apply IR theory to global issues. A comprehensive introduction to mainstream IR theories and critical approaches to IR, explained within the social, political, and historical context, to demonstrate that theory does not emerge from a vacuum. An expert authorial voice guides students through the required material in a gentle, reassuring pace, with an accessible and concise style, without shying away from the more complex theories and concepts. A clear and consistent structure and pedagogical framework of key terms, key concepts, key events, and key thinkers, to enable students with little or no knowledge of theory to develop a strong theoretical understanding, supported by easy-to-navigate points of reference. Critical reflection on new theoretical knowledge is encouraged by 'Think Critically' questions that are supported by hints and tips to guide avenues of thought. Opportunities to apply theory to today's events and issues and to practise using theory to analyse and interpret important societal concerns Available as an e-book enhanced with self-assessment activities and multi-media content to offer a fully immersive experience and extra learning support

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The Science of Modern Virtue examines the influence that the philosopher Rene Descartes, the political theorist John Locke, and the biologist Charles Darwin have had on our modern understanding of human beings and human virtue. Written by leading thinkers from a variety of fields, the volume is a study of the complex relation between modern science and modern virtue, between a kind of modern thought and a kind of modern action. Offering more than a series of substantive introductions to Descartes', Locke's, and Darwin's accounts of who we are and the kind of virtue to which we can aspire, the book invites readers to think about the ways in which the writings of these seminal thinkers shaped the democratic and technological world in which modern human beings live. Thirteen scholars in this volume learnedly explore questions drawn from the diverse disciplines of political science, philosophy, theology, biology, and metaphysics. Let the reader be warned: The authors of these essays are anything but consensual in their analysis. Considered together, the chapters in this volume carry on a lively internal debate that mirrors theoretical modernity's ongoing discussion about the true nature of human beings and the science of virtue. Some authors powerfully argue that Locke's and Darwin's thought is amenable to the claims made about human beings and human virtue by classical philosophers such as Aristotle and classical Christian theologians such as Thomas Aquinas. Others make the opposite case, drawing attention to the ways in which Descartes, Locke, and Darwin knowingly and dialectically depart from central teachings of both classical philosophy and classical Christian theology.

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