The Problem of Pacifism

The Problem of Pacifism

To say that war, a venture full of violence and pain, is not evil might seem quite ridiculous to some people. After all, a popular antonym for peace, a word usually associated with something good, is war. This would most likely strike people as an obvious contraction. Pacifists would take this view even further. A true Pacifist would not only claim that war and violence is evil, but fighting violence with force is also evil. However, there seems to be a problem with not only the more radical view of pacifism, but also the view that war is always evil. In fact, under some circumstances, war can be justified and it can be necessary. Furthermore, the pacifists' ambition to abolish evil completely fails for it actually rewards evil and is characterized by a conspicuous contradiction and impracticality.

A nation's government has an undisputable responsibility to protect its citizens. Most of us believe that one of the government's main purposes is to maintain peace and order. This is done by creating a justice system where criminals are punished and where people's rights are protected. In fact, justice is closely related to order and peace since the only lasting order is a just one. Furthermore, in order to be able to maintain order and uphold justice, the government needs power and often needs to use force. When

a citizen's rights have been violated by a criminal, we expect that the government seek justice on our behalf by exercising its power and punishing that criminal. In a similar manner, when the rights of all citizens are being violated, we expect our government to seek justice by punishing the violator. This is when our government is not only allowed to declare a war against the violator, usually another nation, but is demanded to do so for the sake of justice and peace. I say that it is for the sake of peace since an enduring peace can never be obtained through injustice. Even though a short-term peace between the two nations can be acquired by not declaring a war, it would greatly diminish the likelihood of a lasting peace. Even though the United States, and other Allies nations, could have decided not to declare a war on the Axis powers in WWII, most people agree that they were right in doing so because it ended the horrible injustice that was going on and restored peace. Essentially, we need to understand that just like there can be an unjust war, there can be an unjust peace. Of course, many wars that have been waged throughout history were unjust and unnecessary. However, as long as the purpose of a war is to seek justice and maintain peace, and as long as this goal is achievable, a war can be justified. As Bellamy points out in his book Fighting Terror, "the ultimate moral test of war is the

quality of the peace we leave behind" (151). With that in mind, it makes sense to say that a war is not always necessarily

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