Professor authors article on Thomist themes

Dan Young, associate professor of political science at Northwestern, is the author of an article published in the December 2011 issue of the peer-reviewed journal Politics and Religion, sponsored by the American Political Science Association.

In “Thomist Themes in Twentieth Century Political Realism,” Young explored the use of Thomist themes—philosophical views based on the work of Saint Thomas Aquinas—in the writings of Martin Wight. Wight was a leading 20th century British scholar of international relations. By exploring the use of Thomist concepts in Wight’s thought and the parallels found in the ideas of his contemporary, Thomist political philosopher Jacques Maritain, Young attempts to show how Wight sought to escape the realist temptation to Machiavellianism, or the bracketing out of moral principles in the conduct of statecraft, and the possible shortcomings of this approach.

Young is a political theorist with interests in the intersection of theology and political theory.  He has presented papers at numerous academic conferences in the U.S. and has contributed chapters to two books.