British Modern International Thought in the Making

“For those reared on a diet of Saint Pierre, Rousseau and Kant, it will come as a shock to find that British international thought often pre-empted their ideas or developed them separately, based on a deep understanding of commerce and the global balance of powers.” —Peter Niesen, Hamburg University “Britain’s transformation into an economic powerhouse over the course of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries was matched by a formidable group of contributors to economic theory and international political thought. This excellent volume canvasses the ideas of over a dozen prominent “economists,” including Hobbes, Locke and Bentham, as well as Hume and Smith. The work will prove a major resource to scholars in philosophy, the history of political economy, and international relations.” —Margaret Schabas, University of British Columbia-Vancouver, Canada This book articulates international political theory in dialogue with economics on several questions. It asks: how has modern international theory been adjusted and nourished by economic ideas, theories and practices? How far has the distinctive contribution of some theorists to international theory been informed by their views on economy? What has been the impact of the theory of the state for economic and international theory? What sort of economic thinking has led to revise the debates constitutive for the modern international realm? How have economic debates been rhetorically connected to political debates in the field of international relations? Benjamin Bourcier is Associate Professor of Philosophy, ESPOL, Catholic University of Lille, France. His main research interests include the history of international political thought, cosmopolitanism, Jeremy Bentham, the enlightenment. Mikko Jakonen is Professor of Social and Public Policy, University of Eastern Finland. His main research interests arein social policy, work, economy, social theory and history of political thought.