This is a blog designed for students to gain access to information regarding Mr. Marshall's courses at Pender Harbour Secondary School, and as a means of networking to share ideas. Visit my new classroom blog at jmarshalrce.blogspot.ca
Yes, these questions are intended to get you thinking. I'm glad you guys chose questions that were meaningful to you and not just "the easiest ones." Perhaps a beginning place for this inquiry might be to think of some wars that you feel were not begun for moral reasons, and then consider ones that were. Then you can ask yourself where the morality was rooted (or why it was absent). For example, as students who have studied Socials 11, you should be familiar with the reasons Canada participated (or chosen not to participate) in the conflicts of the twentieth century. Good luck.
War can never be justified as a morally acceptable reason to solve any issues. From an average citizen's point of view, war is when able men and women are sent out to fight and die for a solution that can be solved on paper. These people are turned against each other in a futile battle where husbands, wives, daughers, sons, fathers, mothers, sister, and brothers are told to kill each other because it's a "war". To personalize it even more, when they are out there, they could be killing someone that had they met under different circumstances, they could have been friends. From a political point of view, the country wants to make a statement against something they believe in, and so they send off their loyal citizens to die. There is no difference. Of course, I don't know what a country should do if another contry attacks them, but I feel that there ARE other means besides war. No one has to die to solve an issue. Would you kill your brother or sister because they wanted the room you had?
War can be a morally justified response if there's a situation where inaction would cause more death and suffering than the action of war itself. That is, for example WW2 where to not intervene and join war, would have caused the annihilation of an entire race plus many more. Now from political side of this, the War On Terror is considered morally just from the American politicians by using a terrorist strike (911). They said that by not going to war after 911 it would be morally disgraceful to the casualties of the terrorist strike. Even though innocence would be lost in their proposed war American had already been lost first. Their argument was that they are morally obligated to go to war in order to preserve the memory of the victims of 911. In order to save lives, I believe that war is a necessary evil.
These are very interesting discussions; it's always interesting for me to read views that are so varied. In both cases, I thought you supported your comments well.
War is just morally response when the country you live in is getting attacked. War is never morally response if you think about it because there really is no point at all to travel the middle east to fight in a war that you were never even involved in. In USA's case there basically suppling Afghanistan with the weapons that they are getting attacked with. All in all there is no point in war.
I don't believe that there is ever a reasonable reason to start a war. However, I do believe that when it's in defense of an attack there is reason to fight back. Nevertheless, those who do go to war are carelessly sending men and women to fight and risk their life for something that can be resolved otherwise. People may like to believe that they are doing it for the "right" reasons but that opinion varies among everyone.
I think war can no longer be morally justified. It may have been the way to solve things way back when, but now the world has evolved and should be able to deal with matters in different ways. People shouldn't have to give their lives, and lose their loved ones in a heartbreaking war when there are other ways to solve the issues. Of course if your country is attacked, the only thing to do would be to fight and defend, but aside from that war should not be the answer.
Well War can be morally just, if you are fighting for the right reasons, but everyone has a different opinion of what the "right" reason is. War doesn't have to be seen just as fighting and killing... people are, and have been at war all over the world, fighting for rights, equality, freedom, love, hate, and what they believe in. These kinds of wars can be seen as protests or strikes, or gay pride week, simple things like that, its just people fighting for something they find important. People have died for these things too. But when it comes down to war between countries, maybe things could be solved on paper, and maybe they couldn't, but i think war is needed for there to be a balance in the world, if everything was perfect all the time, and everyone got along just fine and accepted everyone. there wouldn't be much to look forward to, thats like having a life with no problems, you take the "ups" in life for granted when you have no "downs" to show you just how great the "ups" are. I think war is morally just when there is something important to fight about, or support. war might not be the happiest thing in life, but i think its something the world needs. everyone fights. and when its over, it feels so much better. bombing people for no reason and making a fight for nothing isnt okay, but if war is needed for something that is important for the better life of the people as a whole, i think its morally just.
War can be morally justified in my mind when it is not just for oil or something that is materialistic. War should be fought on the basis of self preservation and protection and peace. In this new age world yes, i believe we fight many battles that are pointless. However there are some battles that i do support like the peace battles we are fighting right now. there is a quote "there is no peace without war" and i do believe this because peace is something to be learned with allot of country's but seems to only be learned after war. It seems that after a war is when people truly understand and respect the notion of peace. So yes, in my own beliefs SOME wars can be justified.
What a hard and complex question...... what to write?????
ReplyDeleteYes, these questions are intended to get you thinking. I'm glad you guys chose questions that were meaningful to you and not just "the easiest ones." Perhaps a beginning place for this inquiry might be to think of some wars that you feel were not begun for moral reasons, and then consider ones that were. Then you can ask yourself where the morality was rooted (or why it was absent). For example, as students who have studied Socials 11, you should be familiar with the reasons Canada participated (or chosen not to participate) in the conflicts of the twentieth century. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteWar can never be justified as a morally acceptable reason to solve any issues. From an average citizen's point of view, war is when able men and women are sent out to fight and die for a solution that can be solved on paper. These people are turned against each other in a futile battle where husbands, wives, daughers, sons, fathers, mothers, sister, and brothers are told to kill each other because it's a "war". To personalize it even more, when they are out there, they could be killing someone that had they met under different circumstances, they could have been friends. From a political point of view, the country wants to make a statement against something they believe in, and so they send off their loyal citizens to die. There is no difference. Of course, I don't know what a country should do if another contry attacks them, but I feel that there ARE other means besides war. No one has to die to solve an issue. Would you kill your brother or sister because they wanted the room you had?
ReplyDeleteWar can be a morally justified response if there's a situation where inaction would cause more death and suffering than the action of war itself. That is, for example WW2 where to not intervene and join war, would have caused the annihilation of an entire race plus many more. Now from political side of this, the War On Terror is considered morally just from the American politicians by using a terrorist strike (911). They said that by not going to war after 911 it would be morally disgraceful to the casualties of the terrorist strike. Even though innocence would be lost in their proposed war American had already been lost first. Their argument was that they are morally obligated to go to war in order to preserve the memory of the victims of 911. In order to save lives, I believe that war is a necessary evil.
ReplyDeleteThese are very interesting discussions; it's always interesting for me to read views that are so varied. In both cases, I thought you supported your comments well.
ReplyDeleteWar is just morally response when the country you live in is getting attacked. War is never morally response if you think about it because there really is no point at all to travel the middle east to fight in a war that you were never even involved in. In USA's case there basically suppling Afghanistan with the weapons that they are getting attacked with. All in all there is no point in war.
ReplyDeleteI don't believe that there is ever a reasonable reason to start a war. However, I do believe that when it's in defense of an attack there is reason to fight back. Nevertheless, those who do go to war are carelessly sending men and women to fight and risk their life for something that can be resolved otherwise. People may like to believe that they are doing it for the "right" reasons but that opinion varies among everyone.
ReplyDeleteI think war can no longer be morally justified. It may have been the way to solve things way back when, but now the world has evolved and should be able to deal with matters in different ways. People shouldn't have to give their lives, and lose their loved ones in a heartbreaking war when there are other ways to solve the issues. Of course if your country is attacked, the only thing to do would be to fight and defend, but aside from that war should not be the answer.
ReplyDeleteWell War can be morally just, if you are fighting for the right reasons, but everyone has a different opinion of what the "right" reason is. War doesn't have to be seen just as fighting and killing... people are, and have been at war all over the world, fighting for rights, equality, freedom, love, hate, and what they believe in. These kinds of wars can be seen as protests or strikes, or gay pride week, simple things like that, its just people fighting for something they find important. People have died for these things too. But when it comes down to war between countries, maybe things could be solved on paper, and maybe they couldn't, but i think war is needed for there to be a balance in the world, if everything was perfect all the time, and everyone got along just fine and accepted everyone. there wouldn't be much to look forward to, thats like having a life with no problems, you take the "ups" in life for granted when you have no "downs" to show you just how great the "ups" are. I think war is morally just when there is something important to fight about, or support. war might not be the happiest thing in life, but i think its something the world needs. everyone fights. and when its over, it feels so much better. bombing people for no reason and making a fight for nothing isnt okay, but if war is needed for something that is important for the better life of the people as a whole, i think its morally just.
ReplyDeleteWar can be morally justified in my mind when it is not just for oil or something that is materialistic. War should be fought on the basis of self preservation and protection and peace. In this new age world yes, i believe we fight many battles that are pointless. However there are some battles that i do support like the peace battles we are fighting right now. there is a quote "there is no peace without war" and i do believe this because peace is something to be learned with allot of country's but seems to only be learned after war. It seems that after a war is when people truly understand and respect the notion of peace. So yes, in my own beliefs SOME wars can be justified.
ReplyDelete