Morton Kaplan
Encyclopedia
Morton A. Kaplan was Distinguished Service Professor of Political Science, Emeritus, at the University of Chicago. He was also President of the Professors World Peace Academy International; and Editor of the World&I magazine, published by the Washington Times Corporation, from its founding in 1986 until 2004.
He attended Temple University
and Stanford University
, and received his Ph.D. from Columbia University
in 1951. He has held fellowships from Center of International Studies, Princeton University
, and the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences. He was also a Carnegie Traveling Fellow. Dr. Kaplan has published extensively in the areas international relations and international politics.
His many books include Science, Language and the Human Condition, Law in a Democratic Society, and System and Process in International Politics (1957), a seminal work in the scientific study of international relations. He was a critic of communism
and of the policies of the Soviet Union
. In 1979 he edited The Many Faces of Communism.
Kaplan introduced a new analytical tool to the study of international relations, systems analysis
. His view contrasts with that of John Rawls
- that it might be possible to isolate some basic social and political rules; rather Kaplan's alternative theory of justice is his test in principle, a kind of decision procedure for evaluating social, political, and moral choices, which attempts to circumvent the limitations of an egocentric or culturally narrow perspective while providing sufficient context to make a judgment. Kaplan used systems analysis to differentiate among the various types of international state systems: the "balance of power" system, the loose bipolar system, the tight bipolar system, the universal international system, the hierarchical international system, and the Unit Veto International System.
He attended Temple University
Temple University
Temple University is a comprehensive public research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Originally founded in 1884 by Dr. Russell Conwell, Temple University is among the nation's largest providers of professional education and prepares the largest body of professional...
and Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, and received his Ph.D. from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in 1951. He has held fellowships from Center of International Studies, Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, and the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences. He was also a Carnegie Traveling Fellow. Dr. Kaplan has published extensively in the areas international relations and international politics.
His many books include Science, Language and the Human Condition, Law in a Democratic Society, and System and Process in International Politics (1957), a seminal work in the scientific study of international relations. He was a critic of communism
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
and of the policies of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. In 1979 he edited The Many Faces of Communism.
Kaplan introduced a new analytical tool to the study of international relations, systems analysis
Systems analysis
Systems analysis is the study of sets of interacting entities, including computer systems analysis. This field is closely related to requirements analysis or operations research...
. His view contrasts with that of John Rawls
John Rawls
John Bordley Rawls was an American philosopher and a leading figure in moral and political philosophy. He held the James Bryant Conant University Professorship at Harvard University....
- that it might be possible to isolate some basic social and political rules; rather Kaplan's alternative theory of justice is his test in principle, a kind of decision procedure for evaluating social, political, and moral choices, which attempts to circumvent the limitations of an egocentric or culturally narrow perspective while providing sufficient context to make a judgment. Kaplan used systems analysis to differentiate among the various types of international state systems: the "balance of power" system, the loose bipolar system, the tight bipolar system, the universal international system, the hierarchical international system, and the Unit Veto International System.