The United States has a unique responsibility and opportunity to use democracy to end war; but, after 9/11, many can no longer imagine pacifism in any form. Practical Pacifism argues for an approach to peace that aims beyond religion toward a moral consensus that is developed ragmatically through dialogue aimed at overlapping consensus.
The United States has a unique responsibility and opportunity to use democracy to end war; but, after 9/11, many can no longer imagine pacifism. in any form. Practical Pacifism argues for an approach to peace that aims beyond religion toward a moral consen
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Responding to the unprecedented violence of our times, and the corresponding interest in nonviolent solutions, this book takes up the heart of pacifism: its critique of what pacifists have termed the war system. Pacifism as War Abolitionism provides an account of the war system that draws on contemporary sociology, history, and political philosophy. The core of its critique of that system is that war begets war, and hence war will not be ended--or even constrained--by finding more principled ways to fight war, as many imagine. War can only be ended by ending the war system, which can only be done nonviolently. This has been the message of pacifism's great voices like Gandhi, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Dorothy Day. It is the principal message of this book. Key Features Draws extensively on the sociological and historical research on war to expand the usual philosophical discussion beyond hypothetical accounts Expands the dialogues on the ethics of war beyond just war theory to its principal alternative: pacifism Engages discussion of empire and imperialism in relation to the logic and development of the war system Presents pacifism's response to the reality of war today, including the idea of "never-ending war"
This article considers the pacifism of Max Plowman, the notable British pacifist, focusing on the period between the outbreak of WWII & his death in June 1941. It examines the strategy for British pacifism that Plowman advocated at that time, & situates it in the context of ongoing debates in the Peace Pledge Union (PPU), in which Plowman was a leading figure. As a point of contrast to Plowman's viewpoint, consideration is given to the arguments advanced by the Forward Movement grouping within the PPU. The article notes that Plowman's pacifism originated in WWI & developed in the stormy decade of the 1930s. It considers how well the pacifism Plowman advocated stood up to the challenges of WWII & to what extent it acted as a useful guide for pacifists during that war. Adapted from the source document.