Thought provoking question

DS had to write a paper with his application for next years 10th grade Pre-AP English class. I thought it was interesting and thought my DS did a pretty good job expressing his opinion and backing up with examples. It got him, DH & I to think and discuss things pretty interesting.

What are your thoughts?

Is war inevitable? Does human nature prevent world peace?

I don't mean to sound so pessimistic but I think that human nature makes war inevitable!  I will be interested to read the other replies.

Molly

 JMHO

I think, as long as there are people out there who will want what other people have, feel the need to control other people, who FEAR other people for what they don't know about them, and do not know how or are not interested in communicating on different planes of understanding, then there is going to be war.  

JMHO

ViolaB 

I don't like my answer, but yes, I think conflict is natural in human societal interations, interpersonal interacations, and within each of us as individual humans.

Not because of some externally implanted "sin nature" but because the same characteristics which promote our suvival also promote our extinction.

We naturally strive to improve our lot in life:  What I take is not there for you to take, whether it's money, land, resources, civil power, a mate... whatever.  Scarcity is real, and so is desire.

We have differing talents and values:  This is not all through culture and indoctrination.  Even one family there may be both jocks and nerds.  Hands on active doers and builders will never see entirely eye to eye with theoreticians and planners.  What is an exciting adventure to one person is a terrifying ordeal to another.

We are natural coallition builders:  Humans are tribal.  When we form a new idea, we instinctively seek to find others who share it, or who can be convinced that it is right.  But since we have differing natures (see paragraph above) we find some people who don't take to our idea, and those people form their own competing coallition because:

We are naturally defensive:  When we find that there are a bunch of people espousing some idea which feels wrong or dangerous to us, when we feel outnumbered, we respond by seeking out our own group--those who will stand with us so we can say, "I am not wrong.  I am not insane.  Look at all of the people who share my view."  We need this so badly that we are willing to overlook huge areas of disagreement in order to stand together against the "other".  Obama and Wright.  McCain and Hagee.  The Zionists and the Apocalypic Christians.  The enemy of my enemy is my friend until our common enemy is defeated.

Due to our basic biology, our bodies respond to conflict by flooding us with agression-stimulating drugs.  Enough agression leads to fighting.  Big groups fighting is called war.

We can and should seek to restrain ourselves, individually and societally.  We can and should seek peaceful solutions to disagreements and conflicts.  But no, I don't think humans could be humans, or could even survive as a species, without the same characteristics which make conflict, and yes, violent conflict, inevitable.

Lady Fingers:

Due to our basic biology, our bodies respond to conflict by flooding us with agression-stimulating drugs. 

We came up with many different ideas but we didn't even think about this part....so very true.

Individuals certainly engage in hostile behavior, be it that we as a species are hardwired for aggressive tendencies, or it is simply a learned behavior, or a combination. At a personal level, all people have to deal with their own shortcomings, but those who lack basic socialization skills, or the educated abilities to redirect or channel anger in a more productive way, will always succumb to their baser instincts. This is self limiting, constrained by what one man, or a small group of like-minded individuals -- like a gang -- can do within the confines of their means.

However, to use that individual aggression and channel hostile behavior beyond the small sphere of personal influence, requires planning, organization, money, resources and direction. Enter governments, religions, and the occasional charismatic individual who can inspire -- or fool -- men to fight die for crazy ideas, and the even crazier wealthy power-brokers whose greed and avarice can't be satisfied until they have everyone else's stuff.

Without the well-funded influence of government and religion, inciting the populace to hate and fear with their well scripted provocateurs and catchy propaganda slogans, there wouldn't be any wars.

lindapearl:

Without the well-funded influence of government and religion, inciting the populace to hate and fear with their well scripted provocateurs and catchy propaganda slogans, there wouldn't be any wars.

I do agree with this as far as the definition of "war" by todays standards.

Sadly, my short and sweet answer is yes to both questions.  Your son might be interested in a short story my sister introduced me to while I was still in high school....The Last Flower by James Thurber.  It was written in 1939, at the outbreak of WWII.  I remember what it meant to me a a young girl...it still makes me think at 50.  I think your son would appreciate it after this assignment.

 As long as people exist there will be fighting, if even out of boredom.  It is inherant in us.  Primitive man fought, modern man fights.   I doubt that this will ever change..

I think war is inevitable as well.  War doesn't have to be on a grand, country vs country scale.  Many neighbors engage in war everyday.  We have gang wars in the streets, clicks in our schools, team rivalries.  Most without any valid basis.  The Hatfield-McCoy feud could certainly be considered a war & that started over a property lines and a pig. 

bump

Yeah, what Lady Fingers said.

I wish I could put this as eloquently as Lady fingers...war is a "necessary evil". I don't like it, nobody does, but there has been war in one form or another since there were people. Diseases have been cured, people are living a lot longer than they used to. Farms have given way to housing...we have water shortages. The planet cannot bear the burden. War and natural disasters "thin the herd" I know that sounds cold and callous...but if there was total "peace on earth", how long would it be before we ceased to exist? I know I sound like a babbling idiot...JMO