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What Makes Conflict Resolution Possible?
Author(s) -
Dingwall Robert
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
negotiation journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.238
H-Index - 32
eISSN - 1571-9979
pISSN - 0748-4526
DOI - 10.1111/j.1571-9979.2002.tb00264.x
Subject(s) - negotiation , rationality , conflict resolution , philosophy of law , politics , resolution (logic) , law and economics , dispute resolution , political science , predicate (mathematical logic) , epistemology , sociology , law , environmental ethics , computer science , philosophy , comparative law , artificial intelligence , programming language
Much of the negotiation literature emphasizes dispute resolution process, seemingly based on the assumption that resolution is indeed possible in a rational environment. The author outlines the history of transformations in social and political thought that have led to this shared assumption. However, the rationality assumption is seriously challenged in the contemporary era by terrorists and others who predicate their actions on a moral certitude that justifies their actions, no matter what the costs. Interveners perhaps should place more emphasis on changing the environment in which disputes occur, so that resolution is at least a possibility.