DETERMINISM VS. NIHILISM

AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Please make notes!

DETERMINISM

• The Earliest Idea on the role of the nature• Aristotle• Hippocrates• Montesquieu• Mercantilism, Physiocrats• Military stategists• Human life and interaction of states

determined by nation

Nihilism

• Late, modern idea

• The human society, economy can be free from the pressure of nature

• Exlporers,

• ‘Heroes’

• Ideologies, modernisation

• Determinism and Nihilism on the Dutch example.

Absolute vs Relative Dependency

• Absolute dependency: serious questions of living, surviving, but less importance today

• Relative dependency: small details, increasing importance today

• Example of relative dependency: the importance of air

How we depend on air?

• Earlyer:• To dry• Energy (wind, sun)• +Today:• Elements, gas• Transmission of

messages, (mass)communication

• Transport• Info gathering +spy• Pollution emission• Warfare• Clean air as input of

economy with value• Etc.

Nation Determined by Nature

• National symbols• Coat of arms, anthem• Famous animals, nature,

vegetation• Food• Argiculture• Natural Resources• Foreign Trade• Borders, neighbours• Defence, Warfare• Life style, jobs

Possibilism

• One can not overestimate the importance of the nature

• One can not underestimate it• Key areas nowadays:• International trade• Environmental protection• Economy (your heating bill, energy)• Risks (earthquakes, tsunami, etc.)

Homework (for All)

• Upside down:• How the International Relations and

Politics determined your life and your environment:

• Collect examples of politically influenced names of your life (school’s name, streets, institutes, statues, monuments, parades, celebrations, holidays, town names, military zones, heroes etc.)