The Moral Equivalent of War

p The Moral Equality of War

There is a noble aspect when it comes to serving in the military . Patriotism is a noble virtue and men want to achieve this in to help one 's nation . In fact , many consider that militarism preserves the greater values of industry and human rights . The morality of war is questioned by many people . Values such as respect and obedience come to the fore . During war , men worthy of respect cannot be perplexed or frightened . They go on in their own private pace , like a clock

during a thunderstorm . In bringing this illustration , one could only imagine what it would mean if all the present-day military men had the value of obedience because their superiors merited this from them If the military people live with true values , what they would radiate have the capacity to influence others greatly which is essential during war . Their power will not vary . It will not fluctuate . It is not diluted . Wartime produces a lot of doubts and fears . Yet it is during war when the fiber of one 's character is tested to the maximum

William James ' The Moral Equivalent of War obviously is anti-war as he expounds that No victory is possible save as the resultant of a weakness is not responsible ' Yet during war , people 's real character is tested and put to the test . Many say that during war rudeness is the insecure person 's imitation of power . If military officers do not get the results with their subordinates , some of them approach them with a threat or with the intent of making them do it by force . Chances are the soldiers will respond in a compliant way at least in the presence of the superior . Yet the consequences of basing the power on fear are numerous . Sometimes the behavior just goes underground . People still do things one does not want but they do not do it when they are not around If people 's negative feelings are elicited and then suppressed , they do not die they hide . One of the invisible effects of suppression is that people hate the one who does the coercion . That is not the way to gain respect from subordinates . In the military , one expects complete trust and during war this is a critical value to possess . But William James argues that So long as antimilitarists propose no substitute for war 's disciplinary function , no moral equivalent of war , analogous , as one might say , to the mechanical equivalent of heat , so long they fail to realize the full inwardness of the situation . And as a rule they do fail . The duties , penalties , and sanctions pictured in the utopias they paint are all too weak and tame to touch the military-minded

In one 's daily milieu , a great number of transactions depend on this ability to discern . One 's judgements or tendency to be swayed affects actions about current global or local issues , stand on a particular viewpoint and decisions . But...