Kuhnian Understanding of Incommensurability and Implications of Paradigmatic Conception of Knowledge in International Relations

In international relations theory （maybe more than in any other discipline of social sciences）, the paradigmatic construction of Thomas Kuhn and his model of incommensurability might be applied to the theoretical interpretation of phenomena; and it is one of the cornerstones of the methodological toolkit for the interpretation in this field. The paper explores the reason why Kuhn＇s understanding of incommensurability seems to be necessary for the conception of knowledge in international relations： the concept of incommensurability can be considered typical as it is meant to indicate a conflict, of one form or another, between theories. And the discipline of international relations is more than a perfect ground for considering this concept when one is having in mind the high degree of polarized debate among rivalry theoretical schools （for interpreting and describing the identical phenomena） that is present from the very beginning of the discipline. Recalling the Kuhnian conception of science in paradigmatic view with an aim for understanding--international relations theory, the paper analyzes furthermore his rejection of the traditional dichotomy between “objectivisn”and ＂subjectivism.＂