Philosophy of War

1
Philosophy of War

• What is War?

2
War vs. Conflict

• Is every conflict considered a war?

3
How do we decide?

• Is it based on definition or experience?

4
Definitions of conflict

• "when two or more parties, with perceived
  incompatible goals, seek to undermine each
  other's goal-seeking capability".
• In political terms, "conflict" refers to an
  ongoing state of hostility between two or more
  groups of people.

5
Definitions of War

• Cicero defines war broadly as "a contention by
  force
• 'War' defined by Webster's Dictionary is a state
  of open and declared, hostile armed conflict
  between states or nations, or a period of such
  conflict.

6
More definitions of war.

• Rousseau arguing this position "War is
  constituted by a relation between things, and not
  between personsWar then is a relation, not
  between man and man, but between State and
  State" (The Social Contract).
• Alternatively, the Oxford Dictionary expands the
  definition to include "any active hostility or
  struggle between living beings a conflict
  between opposing forces or principles."

7
Examples of conflict

• Arab-Israeli conflict
• conflict in Northern Ireland
• Class conflict
• Vietnam Conflict

8
War examples

• WWI and WWII
• Korean War
• Vietnam War

9
Why do Historians refer to some events as
conflicts and others as war?

• Can you think of examples of both?

10
Conflict

• "Conflict is an emotionally defined and driven,"
  and "does not exist in the absence of emotion."

11
War

• Is fought for purpose of a state
• There is a reason to go to fight, economic,
  civil, but not emotional.