Ethical realism

Ethical realism, in the context of international relations, is a moral-political theory arguing that power and morality are not mutually exclusive. Instead, these forces must shape and inform one another.

Key thinkers in international relations, such as Hans Morgenthau, Reinhold Niebuhr, Joseph Nye, and others, have contributed to the development of ethical realism, particularly during the post-WWII Liberal International Order (LIO). Today, ethical realism can be understood as a geopolitical spectrum ranging from liberal idealism to amoral realism. In the practice of foreign policy, this often manifests as a dynamic interplay between a state’s values and its national interests.

Morgenthau captures this interplay in his seminal work, Politics Among Nations (1948), writing: “The choice is not between moral principles and the national interest, devoid of moral dignity, but between one set of moral principles divorced from political reality and another set of moral principles derived from political reality."

Complementing the work of Morgenthau is Niebuhr’s Christian Realism, which, among other points, argues that while states must remain cognizant of objective evil that violates their own value system, states must also weigh morality alongside national interests to avoid overreach driven by ethical hubris.

At its core, Carnegie Council’s approach to applied ethics in international affairs is a willingness to move beyond a purely realist approach, and, instead, commit to infusing moral considerations into a decision-making process.

For ethical realists in the Morgenthau-Niebuhr camp, morality must be grounded in political reality—not discarded in its name. This conceptual interplay between ethics and politics shaped a generation of post-WWII scholars who wrestled with questions of responsibility, restraint, and legitimacy in foreign policy.

For more on the subject of ethical realism, explore the resources below.

For a definition and analysis of ethical realism (or moral realism) in metaethics as opposed to international affairs, visit this Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy resource.

1. In Politics Among Nations, how does Hans Morgenthau define realism, and what are its six principles?
2. What tensions, if any, exist between ethical realism and democratic values?
   
3. How might ethical realists explain the failure of international cooperation to address issues like climate change and AI governance?
4. Does nuclear deterrence reinforce or challenge the assumptions of ethical realism?
5. Does ethical realism become more or less relevant in a globalized and interdependent geopolitical context?