With radicals like these, who needs conservatives? Doom, gloom, and realism in political theory

• Published in: European journal of political theory Vol. 16; no. 3; pp. 264 - 282
• Main Author: Finlayson, Lorna
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London, England SAGE Publications 01.07.2017; Sage Publications Ltd
• Subjects: Conservatism; Liberalism; Pessimism; Political philosophy; Political theory; Radicalism; Realism; Social change; pessimism; liberalism; modus vivendi; Realism; conservatism

This paper attempts to get some critical distance on the increasingly fashionable issue of realism in political theory. Realism has an ambiguous status: it is sometimes presented as a radical challenge to the status quo; but it also often appears as a conservative force, aimed at clipping the wings...