The Half-Truth of Political Realism: A Buddhist Critique

• In Event: Rethinking Realism

Abstract

The ontology of political realism only captures a limited dimension of conventional reality and, as such, mistakes appearances for ultimate truth. The Mahayana Buddhist teaching of the "two truths" reveals a deeper notion of reality. When understood, the two truths points to a fundamentally different notion of human nature and the possibilities for political cooperation than that of political realism. This paper contributes a non-Western or global critique of international relations' dominant school of thought.

Author

• William J. Long, Georgia State University