Thought Experiments: Exploring the "What Ifs" of International Relations

This podcast episode explores the fascinating world of thought experiments and their application to the field of International Relations (IR). While often overlooked, thought experiments offer a powerful tool for IR scholars to test existing theories, refine complex concepts, and generate new hypotheses about the world around us.Here's what we'll cover:● What are thought experiments? We'll discuss how they work, drawing parallels to scientific experiments conducted in a "laboratory of the mind". We'll also address common criticisms and explore the epistemological foundations of thought experiments, particularly their role in harnessing scholarly intuition.● Beyond "What if Franz Ferdinand survived?": We'll move beyond the traditional Minimal Rewrite Counterfactuals (MRCs) to uncover a diverse range of thought experiments employed in IR67. We'll examine how imagining alien invasions, zombie apocalypses, and even altered historical events can offer valuable insights into international politics.Five ways thought experiments enhance IR research:○ Testing modal consequences of macro-level theories: How can thought experiments help us understand the implications of theories, especially when real-world experimentation is impossible?○ Refining concepts: We'll discuss how thought experiments can help clarify the meaning of key IR concepts like "the state", "war", and "terrorism".○ Exploring grand theoretical scales: Thought experiments are particularly suited for examining macro-scales of human organization and international systems, where traditional empirical research faces limitations.○ Probing black swan events: We'll examine how imagining improbable events like nuclear war or climate catastrophe can help us prepare for the unthinkable.○ Facilitating public engagement: How can thought experiments make complex IR topics more accessible and engaging for a wider audience?A new typology for understanding thought experiments: We'll introduce a new typology based on the structure of thought experiments, helping you categorize, compare, and adapt them for your own research. This typology will help you identify whether a thought experiment focuses on changes to agents (like individual leaders) or structures (like international institutions), and the scale of those changes.Join us as we unlock the power of "what if" thinking and discover how thought experiments can deepen our understanding of international politics. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.