Shopping for Non-violence

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Shopping for Non-violence

Last quarter in my ethics and society class, I found myself in a personal dilemma: As we read and discussed non-violence, I found myself increasingly siding with those philosophers who say that non-violence is impractical in our society today, mostly because they had concrete evidence that non-violence doesn't work, and I didn't have any concrete evidence that it does. Indeed, non-violence looks good on paper, and seems like it would function well; there would be less blood in our world, and instead more conversations, more peace between people and nations. But I found myself asking, "if non-violence is so great a philosophy, why hasn't it caught on?" As a person who has always considered herself a peacemaker, I didn't like that I felt forced by my society to claim that non-violence is a lost cause; I refused to admit that there was no hope for the theory of non-violence in this world. This paper is an attempt to reconcile my personal inclinations towards non-violence with a society that constantly tells me that my non-violence, and non-violence in general, is a waste of time.

In the paper, I use arguments from moral philosopher Michael Walzer's book, "Just and Unjust Wars" to discuss why non-violence is impractical, and then in contrast, I use selections from Mahatma Gandhi's "Love Versus War and Dictators," to discuss why non-violence, though seemingly impractical, is actually the more desirable path to follow.

Main arguments:

The views of these two philosophers are simple: When confronted by an aggressor, Gandhi thinks that non-violence is the only path of action to follow, even if following it means death, whereas Walzer thinks that to act non-violently is impractical in the context o...

... middle of paper ...

...eople are encouraged to win at any cost, to place themselves or others in a spotlight that does not always honor their dignity, may be entertaining, but they leave something to be desired.

Conclusion

Therefore, while Gandhi may be an idealist, I find it hard to believe that if many of my fellow Americans, or any human being for that matter, truly reflected on the personal satisfaction and dignity that his or her lifestyle offered, they would not also be tempted into non-violence by Gandhi's arguments for a more peaceful and loving world.

Indeed, "I am convinced that, if someone with courage and vision can arise among (us) to lead (us) in non-violent action, the winter of (our) despair can…be turned into the summer of hope" (Gandhi 329). Non-violence is conceivable, practical, and desirable, we've just got to find a good way to market it in today's society.

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