Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, Which Are the Fairest Theories of All?

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Abstract
Over the last century our field has borrowed extensively from the epistemelogical foundations of historians, natural scientists, and various forms of positivism. Post-modernism as applied to international relations is a reaction to the excessive claims and aspirations of the “behavioral revolution.” Lapid's essay concisely enumerates and evaluates its counter-claims. Where post-modernism will lead remains problematic. Its stance of methodological and theoretical relativism and its call for the deconstruction of classical and more recent international relations theories could lead to the abandonment of rigorous bases for evaluating additions to knowledge, to an indifference to the realities of international life, and to the promotion of fads. The essay discusses the sources and virtues of theoretical pluralism and argues that in light of the increasing complexity of international relations, our field will necessarily be characterized by a multiplicity of theories. The search for a single, authoritative theoretical or epistemelogical stance is likely to be harmful for the generation of reliable knowledge in the field.

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