The Moral equivalent Of War

 by Ana Galbo #10

    War is a hot topic currently as there are several wars going on across the sea. It has devastated everyone who was ever involved, and yet it's one "solution" we keep going back to. William James, in his essay "The Moral Equivalent of War" tackles the question of what war is good for. I would have to agree with Edwin Starr (above) and say, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!  William James has other ideas about it, however. 

    James starts his essay by taking the reader on a journey through history. By doing so, he gives context to what war used to be about. It hasn't always been the same.  

    In the Essay, James says, "In modern eyes, precious though wars may be, they must not be wages solely for the sake of the ideal harvest. Only when forced upon us, only when an enemy's injustice leaves us no alternative, is a war now thought permissible." To an extent, what James says is true. In the modern day, we have developed the United Nations and an international court to prevent war crimes from taking place. Of course that doesn't always prevent these things. Even in the modern day, Genocide is a very real threat, with many people unfortunately backing it.  

    This is a prime example of James' point, "Our ancestors have bred pugnacity into our bone and marrow, and thousands of years of peace won't breed it out of us." This is one thing that James says which I wholeheartedly agree with. For reference, here is a time-lapse of every notable battle in recorded history. Notice the map is never empty.  

    Many of us, having been born in a post 9/11 world, have never lived without a war of American involvement. Even before then we were involved in several wars.  James says, "'Peace,' in military mouths to-day is a synonym for 'war expected." He goes on to say, "It may even reasonably be said that the intensely sharp competitive preparation for war by the nations is the real war." 

  One thing this makes me think of is the Cold War. John Green does a much better job of explaining it than I could, and the idea doesn't surround the entire war, just the standoff between the U.S and Russia. Ultimately, this conflict boiled down to 'we both have big nuclear weapons but sending them off could result in the end of the world. This is the "preparation for war" James was talking about. Even today, the world is locked in a constant arms race to see who can commit the most destruction with the least effort. 

    James also brings up that the military party knows war is bad, but sees it as a necessary evil. James uses the term "blood tax." Essentially, they say all the blood shed, the horrors, and the trauma are all the price that must be paid to win these wars. 

    

    So we know war is bad. It causes unnecessary pain, suffering, and loss. Modern wars are fought for various reasons, not all of them good. It is senseless violence. James sets out to make sense of it and give it a purpose. 

    The American class system (below) is set up in a way where there are fewer at the top, and many at the bottom. We are all born into these classes and it is incredibly difficult to break out. The upper class tends to have no sympathy for the lower class,  and class inequality takes place every day. This is a major problem, but James offers a solution.  

    

    James suggests that we can fix the class inequality by requiring all young people to do the hard jobs, the ones the upper class would dare not touch. Physical labor. Mining, Construction, Cleaning, Service, The Military. The idea of everybody partaking in these jobs would mean a few things. It would demolish the shame in the lower class because that would mean everybody has done these jobs. It would also mean these jobs stay filled, and possibly provide opportunities for higher up jobs as people would have experience. 

    Social Equality isn't the only thing James considers this a solution for. He also thinks this is a way to discipline the unruly younger generations. In fact, Discipline seems to be James' ultimate goal in this essay. He ends it with these words, "So far, war has been the only force that can discipline a whole community, and until an equivalent discipline is organized , I believe it must have its way." 

    The bottom line is, neither myself, nor Edwin Starr, nor William James is pro war. It is quite an ugly thing that only leads to devastation. What William James is after in his essay is Discipline. He wants a way for the young people to be able to set aside differences like class and just behave. So far, the only thing that has successfully done that is War. However , both he and I hope that someday, there will be an equivalent practice. One that doesn't cost so much blood.