is war evil?

[VAE VICTUS]

is war bad,evil what ever word you wish to use.
many times technology makes leaps at time of war because of extensive research.war can be called the science of killing(made that up does it sound good?not sure if i agree with it thought,i just threw it out there,does it suck?tell me straight) would airplanes be such a big deal if they didnt give such an advantage in war?(they would be but i dont think they would have developed quite so quickly)
war can be used to overthrow murderous despots who have enslaved populations to their own desires.

but it can also be misused.

and this brings another question...is war a tool,or can it at least be used as one?

sorry if these are more philosophical than historical,but the two go hand in hand.
:furious3: wheres the historical value?!?! :help: !!!

[Templar Knight]

War isn't evil or good but is sadly needed.

[AntiochusIII]

Do you want your name to be changed to "Vae Victis" instead? ~;)

The "Vae Victus" means only "Woe Defeated" and not "Woe to the defeated."

Anyway, war is a huge, long (most - ignoring some unique "wars" with a few days of fighting), costly battle of politics using the military as a tool. For one to justify a war, he must disregard human lives as an expendable resources. Otherwise, it cannot be justified. Of course - not being justified doesn't necessarily means being evil in nature. It depends on the point-of-view.

Though I am sure that the topic belongs more to the tavern: the Backroom, than the Monastery. I still believe that too much modern politics (those stupid annoying Iraqi war questions, Conservatism vs Liberalism - both actually are vague and generalization, etc.) would disturb a philosophical discussion you are seeking and turn it into yet another political flame war. Indeed, in this matter, being in the Monastery is appropriate, in case a moderator comes around and wants to move it.

[Byzantine Prince]

I don't believe in good or evil, so I can't answer in that context.

I do however believe that war can be a very attractive thing, both for politicians and the common people. Why? Not only because violence is entertaining but also winning a war can give new jobs and new riches to the country. So no it's not necessary, nor is it unavoidable, but I suspect it will go on for a long time from now. As long as there are different states to that vow to their people that they will progress they will fight to death over the resources of the world, wherever that is.

[Kommodus]

I think it's more accurate to say that war is the result of evil. The evil is in the selfishness, greed, lust (especially for power), malice, and lack of understanding that cause conflict. We have a natural tendency to look out for our own interests primarily, and to hate and fear what we do not understand. These are some of the evils that cause interpersonal conflict, and on a grander scale, war.

It is, of course, unrealistic to say that war should never be prosecuted. Did the allies not have a right to defend themselves from Hitler's Germany? Does a people not have the right to defend themselves when their lives and values are threatened? As long as evil is in the world, strength will sometimes be necessary to defend what is good.

Of course some good things come out of war. This can be said of all things that we generally consider bad; nothing ever happens without a purpose. This certainly does not give us the right to pursue evil, hoping that good will result. Good may indeed result - but no thanks to those who meant evil. It's always better simply to pursue what is good. All the good things that have resulted from war could've been achieved in some other way, even if some of it would've taken longer.

Of course, volumes have been written on this topic, and my reply is only a brief, inadequate one. It's a topic worthy of some attention and study.