Introduction
War is typically seen as the inevitable evil and the direct outcome of international conflicts, as well as military confrontations within the environment of a single country. However, in philosophy, war is seen as highly complex and nuanced due to the broad range of factors that contribute to its emergence and define its further development (Fry 11). Nevertheless, of all the effects that war can produce, death remains the most consistent and clearly undeniable one (Mertens 35). Therefore, the two concepts need to be considered in tandem. Although goals pursued in a war might differ depending on the circumstances, time period, and other factors, death remains its inevitable silent companion, so wars as a construct must be seen as the last and unethical resort to political conflicts.
War and Its Representation in Philosophical Thought
Definition of War Through the Prism of Philosophy
The notion of war is interpreted in various ways in philosophy, with each philosophical framework providing a unique stance on the subject matter. Some of the philosophical theories offer a more lenient perspective on war that borders, justifying military actions and the associated deaths as the inevitable evil. For instance, the Just War Theory posits that war can be justified based on its goals and the participants’ intentions, which may include liberation from tyranny and the protection of vulnerable populations (Fry 25). Therefore, the stance on war as an act of aggression is varied across the existing philosophical principles and theories, yet its connection to death is undeniable.
Ethics of War: Core Approaches
However, the identified paradigm does not negate the presence of ethical standards within the warfare environment. Current philosophical theories, particularly the one of Just War, specify that killing the opponent must be seen as a necessary evil and that the extent of damage done in the course of war must be sought to be minimized (Niederhauser 5). I believe that evaluating the concept of war from a philosophical standpoint and determining its relation to death is impossible without attaching a personal experience to it.
On the one hand, the specified approach to examining war and death as an inevitable part of it invites a plethora of personal biases into the analysis. Namely, avoiding an emotional and, therefore, largely subjective response to the concept of war and especially the notion of death as it is framed by it is nearly impossible when viewing it from a personal angle. However, at the same time, introducing a personal experience into the analysis suggests an essential connection to reality, which implies the support of sufficient evidence.
Though I fortunately have not had a direct personal experience of war, I have witnessed its outcomes quite a lot of times throughout my life, namely, considering news reports on the outcomes of various military conflicts that have occurred recently. Consequently, I have concluded that maintaining an unwavering ethical stance in the military setting is nearly impossible, and keeping all decisions and actions completely ethical is an unachievable goal. Due to human nature and the necessity to make sacrifices to meet core goals, being in war implies foregoing certain ethical principles.
War and Its Consequences: A Philosophical Perspective
Furthermore, the consequences of war are truly devastating and closely linked to countless deaths of soldiers and civilians. Though wars are typically sought to be contained within the battlefield, casualties among civilians remain some of the most unfair and horrifying outcomes of war (Mertens 37). Therefore, from the philosophical and humanistic perspectives, war, with its direct link to suffering, pain, and, ultimately, death, must be abandoned as a concept.
At the same time, applying a personal perspective that has been gained primarily from viewing news reports and familiarizing myself with online accounts of events that have transpired during military actions, I must mention that it is, in fact, possible to retain some semblance of humanism and dignity in war to control its consequences. For instance, news reports mention the troops treating civilians in the areas that have been freed from the enemy with respect and dignity, as well as seeking to mitigate the devastating effects of war. Therefore, maintaining an ethical stance in war is possible.
War and Death
Connection Between War and Death
War must also be recognized for the death and destruction it causes from a philosophical perspective. Introducing a personal perspective on the subject matter, I must mention that I have witnessed both sides of current military conflicts, celebrating the damages done to their opponents, including the death of the opponents, particularly both their military forces and civilians. The specified approach to interpreting a military conflict and the connection between war and death seems counterproductive. Apart from being highly unethical, it also implies that death during the war should be seen as a repercussion for the wrong stance that the opponents supposedly have, which is an obvious fallacy and a philosophically inconsistent point of view. The specified observation proves how difficult it is to maintain a neutral perspective on the issue while directly involved in a war, let alone witnessing death or being related to it.
Purpose of War: Death as the Inevitable Byproduct
Therefore, philosophically, it would be wrong to claim that war and death are linked in a cause-and-effect relationship, yet the two concepts have an obvious correlation. More importantly, the causation between war and death is undeniable, which leads to the conclusion that war in itself is a self-defeating notion. One could claim that ending a war never implies that one of the sides can enjoy victory.
Death and War: Moral and Ethical Aspects
The very notion of the ethics of war should be treated as an oxymoron. However, having a set of clear and rigid ethical standards concerning war and the process of fighting opponents is essential. Specifically, soldiers must retain their humanity and treat civilians with respect and dignity, including those who share the enemy’s opinions (Mertens 36). Moreover, I firmly believe that it is not only possible but also necessary to view death during war as a tragedy, no matter whose death occurs. Specifically, the death of the enemy should also be considered a loss worth mourning since the sanctity of human life must override personal convictions.
Conclusion
Though philosophically, war could be seen as an inevitable outcome of a military conflict or any other type of international confrontation, and death represents an unavoidable side effect of war, every philosophical framework points to the need to minimize the harm done by war. Specifically, the need to introduce tools that could help remove the very concept of war from the range of measures for managing international and internal state conflict must be considered necessary. With the specified framework as the guiding principle for addressing the problem of war and the inseparable issue of death, one can save countless lives.
Works Cited
Fry, Tony. Unstaging War, Confronting Conflict and Peace. Palgrave Macmillan, 2019.
Niederhauser, Johannes Achill. Heidegger on Death and Being: An Answer to the Seinsfrage. Springer Nature, 2020.
Zizek, Slavoj, et al. reading Hegel. John Wiley & Sons.