Degterev D.A. The Conceptualization of International Relations: from the Metaphor and Analogy to the Model

Abstract: The subject of the study is the different levels of conceptualization of international relations - a metaphor, an analogy and a model. This article shows the role of metaphors and analogies in the process of scientific cognition of international relations, showing their limits and possibilities. The basic types of models of international relations, including the game-theoretical, econometric, simulation, network and others, are described. The author discloses various approaches to the study of international processes - as unique social phenomena or as subjects used for identification of common patterns. Analyzing the metaphors, analogies and models, the author gives special attention to their characteristics in the context of the laws of logic (inductive or deductive reasoning). The author gives the examples of true (positive), neutral, and negative (incorrect) analogies. Theoretical generalizations are illustrated by a significant number of practical examples from the field of international relations. Metaphor and analogy are not the models of international relations, in fact they are the pre-model forms of conceptualization of international relations. Nevertheless, one should not underestimate the importance and effectiveness of metaphors for the stimulation of a creative process on the initial stages of the analysis of international relations. Metaphor, helping intuitively imagine the phenomenon under consideration, is the first step towards formalized modeling. To harmonize the contradictions, contained in the metaphor, it is necessary to use the analogy, which is an intermediate step between imagination (intuition) and logical thinking. The model helps more accurately transfer the characteristics of international processes necessary for the solution of the problem under study.

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