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2 results

  • Chapter 2 - Small and Large Worlds, Post-Newtonianism and Para-Humanism

  • Peter J. Katzenstein, Cornell University, New York
  • Book:
    Entanglements in World Politics
    Published online:
    27 November 2025
    Print publication:
    11 December 2025, pp 63-102
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  • Summary

    This chapter sorts out how we can distinguish small worlds and conditions of risk from large worlds and conditions of uncertainty along three dimensions (section 1). Unnoticed by students of world politics, in many domains of knowledge the twentieth century saw an important collective shift in terminological resources from Newtonian humanism to post-Newtonianism and para-humanism. These two worldviews are therefore discussed (in sections 2 and 3). Both engage uncertainty more openly than Newtonian humanism does. In any field of study, including world politics, “speaking differently” in a new conceptual language can make distinct contributions to understanding – contributions that can be as important as “arguing well” by relying on conventional terminology. In this case, speaking differently helps us rethink the risk-uncertainty conundrum.

Entanglements in World Politics
  • The Power of Uncertainty
  • Peter J. Katzenstein
  • Published online:
    27 November 2025
    Print publication:
    11 December 2025
  • In this seminal study, Peter J. Katzenstein drags the analysis of world politics from the Newtonian humanism of the nineteenth century into a new post-Newtonianism of the twenty-first. The key concept is entanglement. By examining differences in context, process, and language, Katzenstein specifies how risk and uncertainty intertwine. Three deeply researched case studies – finance and political economy, nuclear crisis politics and war, and global warming and AI – support his original arguments. A chapter on power further illustrates the risk-uncertainty conundrum. Entanglements in World Politics calls for humility and eclectic pragmatism, emphasizing the unity of knowledge of the natural and humanistic sciences and the complementarities of science and religion. Katzenstein's engaging writing and innovative approach make this a must-read for anyone interested in the complexities of global politics. This book is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.