Big Think

Craig Fluck on February 5, 2008, 2:20 PM

It does seem that we should be beyond war by now. We must realize that making war on any nation is also making war on ourselves. Maybe Iraq will be the teacher of that lesson.

Craig Fluck on February 5, 2008, 7:20 PM

It does seem that we should be beyond war by now. We must realize that making war on any nation is also making war on ourselves. Maybe Iraq will be the teacher of that lesson.

Steven Sturdevant on March 6, 2008, 5:16 AM

I can't think of anything I would like more than an end to war. I also can't think of anything more unlikely. I think it's obvious, by now, that war is hardwired into the human psyche. And, spare me the comments on my close mindedness and negativity. Reality has a place in this discussion too.I like Collins' idea of plucking up the dictators in high-tech raids rather than all-out war, but here we have the inevitable question of who decides. That question has all the earmarks of an unending international squabble. Would we want someone like G. Bush, again, deciding who and when to take out a dictator? How about Hillary? I'm not comfortable with anyone I can think of right now.

I think, if there is a solution, it would have to be through a more equitable distribution of wealth on a global scale. That would trigger a more equitable distribution of education and such things as health care, ethnic equality and thus, political power. I don't know if that's any more realistic than the other idea. It seems to me that it would require the existence of an irresistible superpower and that idea scares the hell out of me.

Steven Sturdevant on March 6, 2008, 10:16 AM

I can’t think of anything I would like more than an end to war. I also can’t think of anything more unlikely. I think it’s obvious, by now, that war is hardwired into the human psyche. And, spare me the comments on my close mindedness and negativity. Reality has a place in this discussion too.I like Collins’ idea of plucking up the dictators in high-tech raids rather than all-out war, but here we have the inevitable question of who decides. That question has all the earmarks of an unending international squabble. Would we want someone like G. Bush, again, deciding who and when to take out a dictator? How about Hillary? I’m not comfortable with anyone I can think of right now.

I think, if there is a solution, it would have to be through a more equitable distribution of wealth on a global scale. That would trigger a more equitable distribution of education and such things as health care, ethnic equality and thus, political power. I don’t know if that’s any more realistic than the other idea. It seems to me that it would require the existence of an irresistible superpower and that idea scares the hell out of me.

Nancy Devine on March 2, 2009, 7:03 PM

I think war is a metaphor that people think they understand. It’s viewed as us versus them; we construe the them as evil and then justify what we do in response.
I don’t understand war on any level, metaphorical or otherwise. I don’t think anybody does. Shouldn’t that be enough for us to move forward?