Il coraggio del realismo: Hans J. Morgenthau e Reinhold Niebuhr

During the twentieth century, two seminal thinkers of the Political realism, Reinhold Niebuhr and Hans J. Morgenthau, contrasted with the prevailing approach of the contemporary social sciences, denouncing the alleged abuses of positivism, the problematic relationship between science and values, and the weak boundary between description and prescription. On one hand, the Protestant theologian studied the domestic and international politics of the United States, opposing to liberal idealism and stating an anti-Pelagian stance. On the other hand, the author of Politics Among Nations reflected on the «poverty» of scientism applied to the study of politics and highlighted the «limits» of power. Both scholars agreed with the need not only to exceed the rationalism that united the political science but also to use realism in order to better understand politics. At the same time, they reaffirmed the inextricable ethical and normative dimension of the political action. This article analyzes their contribution in order to expose its potentials as well as limits.