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Definition:
Pacifism is political and social philosophy based upon the premise that violence is
always and everywhere wrong. In a practical sense, it is usually manifested as an
opposition to war and other forms of state-sanctioned violence against people.
Pacifism is sometimes supported deontologically on the idea that we all have a duty to respect and defend human life or because it is a religious duty, and sometimes is it defended with more consequentialist reasons with the argument that attempts to solve problems with violence only ends up leading to more problems in the end anyway.
Peace cannot be achieved through violence, it can only be attained through understanding. - Albert Einstein
Pacifism can also be opposed with either deontological or consequentalist arguments, although the latter are more common. Usually, it is argued that humans are aggressive animals and, as such, are an on-going danger. Thus, if you refuse to fight when threatened, you risk being killed or enslaved (in some fashion). Thus, the values of maintaining liberty and life are placed higher than the value of avoiding violence.
The fact that slaughter [battle] is a horrifying spectacle must make us take war more seriously, but [it does] not provide an excuse for gradually blunting our swords in the name of humanity. Sooner or later someone will come along with a sharp sword and hack off our arms. - Carl von Clausewitz
Beware lest in your anxiety to avoid war you obtain a master. - Demosthenes
Also Known As: none
Alternate Spellings: none
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Related Resources:
What are Political and Legal Philosophy
The Philosophy of Politics and the Philosophy of Law are often studied separately, but they are presented here jointly because they both come back to the same thing: the study of force. Politics is the study of political force in the general community, while jurisprudence is the study of how laws can and should be used to achieve political and social goals.What is Philosophy?
What is philosophy? Is there any point in studying philosophy, or is it a useless subject? What are the different branches of philosophy - what's the difference between aestheitcs and ethics? What's the difference between metaphysics and epistemology?
