Can contingency be 'internalized' into the bounds of theory? Critical realism, the philosophy of internal relations and the solution of 'uneven and combined development'

Can general mechanisms governing social life (necessity) and the possibility of multiple outcomes in socio-historical processes (contingency) be incorporated into a single theoretical framework? In recent years, the critical realist philosophy of science has emerged as an intellectual strand within...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Cambridge review of international affairs 2013-09, Vol.26 (3), p.573-597
Main Author: Cooper, Luke
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Concept Formation
Conceptualization
Human development
Intellectuals
International Relations
International system
Law
Philosophy
Philosophy of science
Realism
Science
Social life
Social life & customs
Social Processes
Sociology
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Summary:Can general mechanisms governing social life (necessity) and the possibility of multiple outcomes in socio-historical processes (contingency) be incorporated into a single theoretical framework? In recent years, the critical realist philosophy of science has emerged as an intellectual strand within international relations (IR) that makes theoretical claims about necessary social processes while recognizing the irreducible role of contingency. However, critical realist scholars treat contingency as an 'externality', thereby declining to theorize social processes that result in contingent outcomes. Here, it is argued that contingency emerges out of the combination of events and processes as theorized by the law of uneven and combined development. This provides a general conceptualization that treats differentiated historical outcomes, and their contingencies, as inherent to human development. Out of these assumptions a workable approach to historical sociology in IR can be developed-one predicated upon uncovering the form of historical 'combination', the contingent fusion of elements, in international systems.
ISSN:0955-7571
1474-449X
DOI:10.1080/09557571.2013.814045