Philosophy of War

Philosophy of War

Human history is plagued with series of bloody conflicts and wars which resulted into killing of millions of men , women , and children Different historians and analysts have presented variety of theories debating on the root causes of war . What ever the reasons , wars bring destruction , annihilation , and sorrows to the humanity . Development of technology further compounded the situation . It simplified the obliteration of mankind with introduction of weapons of mass destruction . Man is now capable of wiping out the humanity with least efforts . Inventions created for warfare have

also helped in maintaining a balance of power and were actually successful in preventing wars from materializing . This will focus on philosophy of war , highlighting various theories about causes of war , with an analytical scrutiny of the present scenario where weapons of mass destruction have deeply affected the world peace

War is an instrument of policy . It is the continuation of national policies through other means (Clausewitz 12-13 . In general terms , war can be described as a method and an approach of pursuance of national goals and objectives . War in military terms is a state of widespread conflict between states , organizations , or relatively large groups of people . It involves use of bloody aggression between two regular armies or between armed civilian groups ( War ' pars . 1-2 . A common perception of war is a military campaign between at least two opposing sides . The disagreement leading to war may involve a dispute over sovereignty , territory , resources , or religion etc . Wars take place despite majority of populace opposing them . There are a large number of theories debating over why wars happen regardless of strong opposition

Whatever the cause of war , the development of technology has intensified the resultant human destructiveness . Development of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction have altogether changed the nature of war . The latest deadly military arsenals have reshaped the war strategies . These weapons are proving to be a strong deterrence against outbreak of war between two states but their possession by belligerents and terrorists have serious implications

Human history is devoid of any era which can be termed as peaceful There has always been some war or conflict taking place between two opposing sides . The war itself has remained a constant phenomenon throughout the course of history however causative factors for such conflicts are certainly numerous . There are a large number of theories explaining causes of war including the political , economical psychological , sociological , anthropological , and historical theories These theories identify specific circumstances and inescapable trends imposing war on humanity . Two important theories have been deliberated upon in following paragraphs which stem out significantly when viewed in concurrence with present scenario

The theory most affected with advent of weapons of mass destruction is the psychological theory , also known as human aggression theory . This theory professes that human beings , especially men are born aggressive and violent . History is witness of the fact that people are capable of committing the most terrible acts of violence on other people . Wars have...