The Moral Equivalent of War

Jun 19, 2008 Posted by John Ray

We want to believe again.

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William James, AmeriCorps (all tags)

The "Moral Equivalent" of War

Jun 19, 2008 Posted by Grace Johnson

Philosopher and theorist William James is considered the father of modern national service for his early vision of universal national service forming the “moral equivalent of war.”  In his 1906 essay on the subject, he describes how, despite the horrors and atrocities of international war, the inspired patriotism and human obligation towards the state which arise out of wartime crises are necessary to redeem the society from a dull existence built upon a “pleasure economy” of insipid consumerism.  War, by its very brutality, refines human virtues, building in humans the capacity to fight for the collective good.  His question posed is whether a moral equivalent can be found, one which still inspires individuals with a sense of civic virtue and the desire to achieve noble deeds, while escaping the suffering and destruction of war.

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William James, universal volunteerism (all tags)

The Moral Equivalent of War

Jun 19, 2008 Posted by rgoodwin

“Patriotic pride and ambition in their military form are, after all, only specifications of a more general competitive passion. They are its first form, but that is no reason for supposing them to be its last form.”
-William James, 1906

Capitalizing on the political unity and patriotism that arises immediately following a national disaster, crisis or war is typically easy; the bigger challenge arises when we try to prolong this sense of national unity.  In the absence of a national threat what do we as Americans unite around? It seems that if there is no immediate war-like threat, we as Americans loose this patriotism.  In the words of The Righteous Brothers we begin to lose “that loving feeling”   The question is how can we foster “that loving feeling,” that feeling of social unity, in the absence of a threat?

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National Service, William James, political unity (all tags)

“The Moral Equivalent of War”

Jun 18, 2008 Posted by Arun Inbavazhvu

William James’ “The Moral Equivalent of War” is thought to be part of the beginnings of the national service movement.  By substituting war with a “moral equivalent,” James seeks to replicate the same sense of patriotism, honor, and sense of duty that comes from the military without all of the bloodshed.  In this way James believes the country can preserve itself as a viable nation.  The modern interpretation of this “moral equivalent of war” is a war against all that is wrong, unjust, and unbalanced within the nation and the world itself, such as poverty, illiteracy, malnutrition, natural disasters, and many other problems.  It should come to very little surprise that when John F. Kennedy announced in 1961 on the steps of the University of Michigan the creation of a federal agency with the goal of battling these problems all across the world, he chose to call the agency the Peace Corps.  As national service is interpreted to be a substitute for war, such follows that the Peace Corps could be a substitute for, perhaps, the Marine Corps.  Thus follows the creation of Clinton’s AmeriCorps and Bush’s Freedom Corps.  Naming these national service agencies in this way directly attributes the equivalency of their purpose and nature to the war making of the Army, Navy, or Air Force just as William James described.  Today national service programs still think of their volunteer forces as “troops” that can be “deployed” to certain issue areas to solve problems in the nation and around the world, just as military troops are deployed to fight enemies.  It is a concept that has functioned well for the national service movement, and leads and will continue to lead to active civic engagement without bloodshed.

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william james, national service movement, origins (all tags)

A World Without War

Jun 18, 2008 Posted by Chandra Palmer

A world without war (at least minimal war) is a strange and foreign concept to most of us. I think internally we all secretly wish for it. But the sad reality is we live in an era where unjust wars are seem to be popping up all over this place. Why do we (human beings) go to war with one another? Is it because war/fighting is part of the inherent nature of human beings? Is it because we want to protect our collective identity and land? Is it because we believe the other side (the aggressor) is committing an immoral act?

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William James, H.G. Wells, War, Peace, Service (all tags)

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