Danny and Derek welcome Matthew Specter, senior fellow at the Institute for European Studies at UC Berkley and lecturer of history at Santa Clara University, to talk about his pathbreaking book The Atlantic Realists. They discuss the origins of realism, thinkers at the fin de siècle, the national interest, Hans Morgenthau, the finer points of liberal internationism vs. realism, and more.
Really enjoyed this pod. Although not about realism, I think Georg Lukacs’ The Destruction of Reason dovetails very nicely with Specter here. The book tries to trace the development of German irrationalism leading up to the imperial age and the rise of Hitler. For Lukacs the let’s say motive force of this “intellectual” tradition is the installation of Bonapartism in Germany. The German bourgeois acting in fidelity to a vision of an aristocratic class, more specifically a king (or Fuher), imposing their will on the world holds true from beginning to end of the book. And the differing flavors of irrationalism throughout this time are determined by changing conditions, but is in large part determined by the necessity to refute an emerging workers movement in Europe, according to Lukacs.
excellent episode, one small correction to your esteemed guest: Aberystwyth is not in England, it's in Wales.
I'm not gonna lie guys. I made it about halfway through this episode. This one was deeper than the Marianas trench and far beyond my grasp.
Really enjoyed this pod. Although not about realism, I think Georg Lukacs’ The Destruction of Reason dovetails very nicely with Specter here. The book tries to trace the development of German irrationalism leading up to the imperial age and the rise of Hitler. For Lukacs the let’s say motive force of this “intellectual” tradition is the installation of Bonapartism in Germany. The German bourgeois acting in fidelity to a vision of an aristocratic class, more specifically a king (or Fuher), imposing their will on the world holds true from beginning to end of the book. And the differing flavors of irrationalism throughout this time are determined by changing conditions, but is in large part determined by the necessity to refute an emerging workers movement in Europe, according to Lukacs.
Thought y’all might be interested.
Cheers
great episode!
One small correction from a non-expert in the field to your esteemed guest: Aberystwyth is in Wales, not England.