| State-Centrism | War, peace, security, and state sovereignty | Traditional Realists | Focuses on sovereign states within an anarchical system. |
| Non-State Centrism | Global inequality, cooperation, and transnational issues | Nye, Keohane, Galtung, Wallerstein | Emphasizes international organizations and non-state actors. |
| System Level | International structure and external constraints | Kenneth Waltz (Systemic level) | Ignores internal state characteristics; treats states as billiard balls. |
| State Level | Internal dynamics, domestic politics, and foreign policy | Classical Realists, Liberal theorists | Evaluates internal socio-political needs and national interests. |
| Positivism | Empirical verification and sensory observation | Auguste Comte, Vienna Circle | Applies natural science methods; separates facts from values. |
| Rationalism | Reason, logic, and deductive methodology | Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz | Relies on a priori knowledge independent of physical senses. |
| Pragmatism | Practical consequences and problem-solving | William James, John Dewey | Evaluates theory validity based on real-world effectiveness. |
| Postmodernism | Critique of metanarratives and universal truths | Jean-François Lyotard | Rejects objective certainty; emphasizes localism and interpretation. |
