Development in International Relations from Rationalism to Reflexivism and the Advent of the Metatheory as a New Meta-physics

It is well-known that the reflectivist perspective represents the ideational turn in the contemporary IR. In this context, one can reflect on the strands of theorizing which revolved around the meta-theoretical commitments to the triad modes of ontology, epistemology and methodology. In this paper I try to apply the philosophical insights of two conspicuous masters of twenty century philosophers, Husserl and Heidegger to take a critical reflection on, and so deconstruct the situation of reflectivism in IR. Development in the perspectives of theorizing in IR, this is my argument, the metaphysics of rationalism based on the endless game of sovereignty and anarchy concerning anarchical international system of the sovereign states has been translated into the meta-physics of reflectivism representing the meta-theoretical questions. Drawing on Husserl and Heidegger points of view, especially conceptions of intentionality and temporality, I reduce meta-theory/ meta-physics of the contemporary IR to theorist by shifting to her or his instead of theory. To sum up, theorist’s understanding of the meaning of contemporary International Relations is contingent upon her or his temporally shared being-ness horizon with the other humans/ beings, and subsequently, her or his knowledge of them depends on their temporality.