Reductionism, Emergence, and Explanation in International Relations Theory.

Emergent propertiesâ€"i.e., causally efficacious properties that are neither ontologically reducible to, nor analytically exhausted by, their constituent partsâ€"have a long and checkered history in the social and biological sciences. In recent years, there is a growing recognition among philosophers of science, theoretical biologists, and some social scientists that emergence can provide the basis for strong anti-reductionist arguments. Contemporary with this interdisciplinary development, however, is a demand within International Relations for explanations to be grounded in microfoundations, often cast in terms of opening up “black boxes” of states and integrating domestic and international politics. This paper first shows that the importance attached to the micro-level rests on notions of scientific explanation that are philosophically problematic. Then, drawing on the theory of emergence and combining it with a scientific realist stance on the ontological status of causal entities, this paper argues that there are good grounds for rejecting empiricist and reductionist arguments in favor of those which take full account of emergent properties in the international system. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]