On the Possibility of International Theory: A Cosmopolitan Critique of Communitarian Conceptions

JVF Conference Papers

This is an essay, in the formal sense of a foray, into the possibility of a transnational morality of states. Just as morality is defined by action in accordance with a principle beyond self-interest, “international theory” is conventionally understood as international moral theory—adherence to a principle higher than national interest. In this context, theory, to be worth anything, must not only confine itself the realm of the possible but, I will argue, also be practicable.

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