Hello everyone, This is the fourth thought assignment on the Think Tank. The thought assignments are designed to get you to think and argue with those around you. It is easy to formulate an opinion in your head but it means nothing if YOU don't give it a voice. Remember: An idea that is never spoken might as well have never existed at all.
This week contemplate the concept of just war and righteous violence. Think about why we as humans might create such an ideal and then answer these questions with your argument buddies.
1. Is just war possible?
2. Do Americans understand war? If not, why? If so, why?
3. Why do we go to war? (as Humans AND Americans)
4. Can war be a good thing? (That is can war benefit the society fighting it?) If so, why? If not, why?
Think about this subject. This idea has driven the course of western history over and over again. There should be a post concerning it within a week. Argue heatedly, but most of all, Think!
For those of you who wish to share your ideas with the community, please comment below.
3 comments:
I operate on certain assumptions, and one of those assumptions is that all human life is infinitely valuable. Therefore all human life is equally valuable. Thus one person may be sacrificed to save more than one. Any war that saves more than it kills is thus good. Wars can also benefit societies by unifying them and so preventing them from imploding, by making the society (or at least the upper class) wealthier through control over trade, over some valuable recourse, or simple looting. War can also be good for a society if it defeats an threat to that societies existence. War can also spur innovation, reform, really all sorts of change through necessity.
People go to war for all sorts of reasons, but they all come down to someone wanting something. A defensive war is fought to keep things the same, or at least alive. An offensive war can be fought for anything imaginable: for a spot in Paradise, for money, for land, for glory, for justice, for vengeance, and so on.Americans like for their wars to be righteous, clear-cut, a good fight for a good cause. The best way to do this is to frame the war as defensive, and thus necessary.
I would say that most Americans today don't understand war very well. Mostly their only experience of it is in the news, movies, and on TV. That cannot possibly represent accurately the experience. Since its all happening very far away, there isn't a draft (a draft would bring the whole country into it), there is no perceptible mobilization, and incredibly few are coming home in caskets, its easy for me personally, and I'm pretty sure for a lot of people, to forget about the war for long stretches of time.
Perhaps you have noticed that I answered the questions in reverse order. This is because the first question is the hardest. Thinking about all the horrors of war, I ask "What can justify this?" I can think of one answer: necessity.
This subject is where I am torn nearly in half. On one hand, I have to agree with you David, war is tough but our most life saving inventions have come from the most gruesome of wars.
I too believe that many Americans do not understand the seriousness of war, including myself.
A just war in my opinion can only come from necessity, but then what is that necessity? and what is the crossing point? How can anyone know if the war they are fighting is going to save more than killed? These questions pop up in my mind and I become conflicted on the subject of war.
Well Duckta, if I knew that I'd have a Nobel Peace Prize.
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