Teaching the Key Concepts

Carmela Lutmar
New York University

Rationality

[Editor's Note: Originally prepared for the second edition of Principles of International Politics]

I present the following statement to the class:

"If states were truly rational, war would never occur.” I ask them to think about it and discuss it. The discussion usually raises issues of  the ‘real’ meaning of rationality, and whether it refers to acting upon specific preferences or emphasizing outcomes. Moreover, we all know that ”war is bad” (casualties, rationing of resources, and so on). Does this mean that leaders who go to war are irrational? I ask the students to think of the possibility or cases in which going to war is the rational action to take.

Another example I use to provoke discussion on rationality is to talk about Iraq and Saddam Hussein. I ask students if they think Saddam Hussein is a rational leader. The various answers usually lead to the concept of rationality as advocated in Principles. This might also lead to discussion about perceptions, but that’s a different story…if one wants to pursue that path (and relate it to rationality), one can go back to the Gulf War (1991), and talk about how perceptions about others’ preferences might lead to different actions (Saddam Hussein misperceiving the U.S.’s reaction to his invasion of Kuwait).