This book provides a comprehensive investigation into Hans Morgenthau's life and work. Identifying power, knowledge, and dissent as the fundamental principles that have informed his worldview, this book argues that Morgenthau's lasting contribution to the discipline of International Relations is the human condition of politics.

1. Prolegomena: Realism and Worldview 2. Chapter I: Hans Morgenthau and Weimar 3. Chapter II: Power - Hans Morgenthau and Ontology 4. Chapter III: Knowledge - Hans Morgenthau and Epistemology 5. Chapter IV: Dissent - Hans Morgenthau and Political Agency 6. Epilogue: The Human Condition of Politics

"Hans Morgenthau was one of the great intellectual figures in the study of international politics, and Felix Rösch's insightful study helps remind us why. Focusing on Morgenthau's intellectual roots in Weimar Germany, Rösch brings Morgenthau into the present by underscoring his relevance to vital strands of recent political and social thought. An indispensable contribution to the growing literature on international realism." - William E. Scheuerman, Professor of Political Science, Indiana University, USA "An original, thoughtful, readable investigation of Hans Morgenthau's intellectual development that goes beyond his writings to personal, cultural, and intellectual history to understand his world view and that of realism. It is a major contribution to our understanding, not only of realism, but to the creative efforts of intellectuals to go beyond ideology and the academy to grapple with the challenges of modernity." - Richard Ned Lebow, Professor of International Political Theory, King's College London, IK