On Selective Pacifism & other Oddities

Justin Schwartz jkschw at hotmail.com
Thu Nov 29 08:59:39 PST 2001



>
> > I don't get it. If I oppose _this_ war, I have to oppose _every_ war?
>Why?
> > What's wrong with traditional just war theory, taught at the Point and
> > Annapolis, under which it can beargued that some wars, e.g., the wara
>gainst
> > the Nazis. is just, but some other wars, like the US invasion of
>Vietnam,
>or
> > theSoviet invasion of Afghanistan, or this war, is unjust? jks
>
>Max is (correctly) pointing out that many non-pacifist leftists use
>arguments that are de facto pacifistic (because they apply to all wars) to
>justify their opposition. To put a Schwartzian query to you, what's there
>not to get?
>
>-- Luke

You have to read the arguments charitably. If someone whom you know is not a pacifist puts forward an argument that, taken one way, implies pacificism, and taken another, does not, why not interpret it the second way? The first way makes for diverting but increasingly irritated and angry discussion. jks

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