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Few words are so often used & abused as the word ,peace.' Thus, when efforts are made to plead almost any kind of policy, then it is often asserted that that policy, in addition to other merits, will also serve the cause of peace. This practice is not necessarily harmful. By projecting an image of harmony of interests, the term 'peace' may also help bring about such a harmony. One may object that frequent use of the word gives an unrealistic image of the world, but leaving aside this ` major argument for the moment, it is obvious that some level of precision is necessary for the term to serve as a cognitive tool. To discuss the idea of peace, one may start from 3 simple principles: (1) The term 'peace' shall be used for soc goals at least verbally agreed to by many, if not necessarily by most. (2) These soc goals may be complex & difficult, but not impossible, to attain. (3) The statement 'peace is absence of violence' shall be retained as valid. Everything now hinges on making a definition of 'violence.' However, it is not so important to arrive at anything like the definition, or the typology, for there are obviously many diff types of violence. More important is to indicate theoretically signif dimensions of violence that can lead thinking, res &, potentially, action, towards the most important problems. IPSA.