P1S3 Flashcards
(40 cards)
What are different:
Causes of conflict
- Conflicting political idealogies
- Holy wars
- Unequal distribution of resources
- A push for nationalism and independence
Cause of conflict:
Conflicting political idealogies
** Socialist idealogy are for centralised government planning**, e.g. Hitler introduced autobahn (motorway) to develop the country
* Capitalist idealogies emphasise personal freedom within a market economy, Milton Friedman argued for economic liberalism, saying that the government is incapable of directing complex economic transactions, and free trade with a market economy is the best way of providing people with what they value
Cause of War:
A push for nationalism and independence
- Has led to the break-up of empires
- in the Northen Ireland troubles, the IRA used armed force against british soldiers in the objective of an independent republic of ireland
- Still pursued politically by Sinn Fein party
Cause of War:
Holy War
- Wars fought for the sake of religion, like the Christian crusades
- Crusades lasted from 1095-1291, aiming to capture sacred places in the holy land from the muslims
- Started by Pope Urban II saying that war whould have the support of God, saying “Let this be your war-cry in combats”
What are the different types of:
Pacifism
- Absolute pacifism
- Conditional pacifism
- Selective pacifism
What is:
Absolute pacifism
- The belief that it is never right to take part in war, even in self-defence, as the value of human life is high enough that nothing can justify killing
What is the view of:
Conditional pacifism
- War and violence is wrong in principle, but there are circumstances where war is less bad than the alternative
- Usually base their moral codes on Utilitarian principles
What is the view of:
Selective pacifism
- Depends on the degree of war, and only oppose wars with weapons of mass destruciton because a war using such weapons is not ‘winnable’
What is:
Conscription in UK
- Was single men between 18-41, got extended to married men between 18-50
- men could be excused on the basis of ill health, vital work or conscientous objectors
- about 14000 conscientous objectors in 1916 UK
Biblical arguments:
Against war and conflict
- Sanctity of life
- “You shall not murder”
- “Love your neighbour”
- “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God”
Did:
Jesus condone violence?
2 viewpoints for
- Liberation theology believes that you should unite with the poror and opressed and speak out against abuse of human rights
- The system should be changed for no more poverty or opression “set the opressed free”
- If the poor cannot be defended, then it has to involve weapons
At the temple, goods were being sold to make money. Jesus got angry, overturned the tables and told them not to come back, saying that they made his house of prayer “a den of robbers”
What is the:
Just War theory
- Christian philosophy trying to solve the problems that:
- taking human life is wrong “Do not commit murder”
- states should defend their citizens
- Protecting innocent human life and defending important values will require willingness to use force and violence
What is the purpose of:
Just War theory
- Provide a guide to states to act in conflict scenarios
- Applies to states only
- A framework for discussion of possible wars
- Prevent wars by showing that it is wrong to do so and trying different alternatives to solve a conflict
What are the different conditions of:
Just war
8
- Just cause - must correct injustice
- Proper authority - war must be declared publicly
- Proper intention - There must be a just reason to go to war and has to be motivated by trying to find peace - “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God”
- Proportionality - Force must be proportional to the threat and no more than is neccessary to win
- Last resort - only if all other tentatives have failed - story where Paul asks if he should forgive 7 times and Jesus replies 77
- Not harm civilians - “Love your neighbour”
- Only use appropriate force
- Obey international convections
Arguments for:
Just war theory
- Attempts to maintain moral principles which permits use of violence in controlled circumstnaces
- Recognises that sometimes there will be a need to act against tyrannical agressors
- Does not allow for unprovoked acts of violence
- Does not ignore basic human rights and makes sure that Christians act justly
Arguments against:
Just war theory
- All war is unjust
- Conditions of just war are very ambigious and open to question and impractical
- Wars are due to multiple reasons, not just 1
- if God required us to make war or the inverse it would be wrong to disobey God, rendering the just war theory unneeded
- Peace is not always the result of millitary action
- Terrorists are not intrested in morality, so following an ethical theory of war disadvantages those who follow it
What is a:
Weapon of mass destruction
A weapon with the capacity to inflict death and destruction on such a massive scale and so indiscriminately that its very prescence in the hands of a hostile power can be considered a grievous threat
What could be the:
Positive impacts of weapons of mass destruction
- If two countries fought a battle with these weapons, both countries could anhillate each other, leading to mutually assured destruction
- Can be a deterrant for countries going to war, leading to peace
What is the:
CND
- Campaign for nuclear disarmament
- Advocates a policy where countries cannot have access to atomic bombs
- Jeremy Corbyn tried to do this but failed to change the labour party
View of:
Roman Catholic church on weapons of mass destruction
- Pope Francis - “a world without nuclear weapons is possible and necessary”
- Bible does not comment on this directly, but has principeles such as:
- “Hate what is evil”
- “For in him all things were created”
- Says that God created all earth, and all God did is good, and therefore should not be destroyed
3 Catholic views:
against weapons of mass destruction
- God breathed life into Adam to make him a living being
- “You shall not murder”
- Weapons of mass destruction are immoral as terminating life is a sin
- Life is sacred and of value due to sanctity of life principle, where each human life is precious as it is ‘in the image of God’
- Use of Nuclear weapons has the capacity to destroy lives of value on mass
- Use of nuclear weapons is immoral and a sin due to the harm it brings up on individuals lives that are valuable by nature
- Christians believe that God is sovereign over all and that through prayer he has the capacity to resolve all conflict. Jesus states ‘If you have faith and do not doubt … whatever you ask in prayer you will receive, if you have faith’
- Using Nuclear Weapons is often used by many countries as a means of deterring other countries from an attack.
- Use of nuclear weapons is wrong as it shows a lack of fatih in God.
What are 5 ways a:
Peacekeeping organisation does for peace
- Helps promote and build relationship between political parties in conflict
- Education and guidance on conflict resolution
- Deploy peacekeepers (moving troops to maintain peace)
- Peacefully protest against a form of conflict
- Ensure international law is upheld
What are 4 ways a:
Religious organisation may work for peace?
- Campaign against social injustices that could cause civil war
- Promote Jesus’ message of peace as a solution
- promote the principle of agape, emphasising values of tolerance and respect
- Pray for God’s intervention
View of the Bible on:
Peace
- Genesis chapter 2 presents a state of harmonious peace in the Garden of Eden, which is corrupted when they ate from the tree
- Fall corrupted human
- Augustine believes it led to akrasia
- The amalekites were attacked by the Christians however, when Moses went to the promised land
- There are also laws to maintain peace, such as “You shall not kill/steal”
- Jesus changes an eye for an eye to turning the other cheek
- Bible also mentions peace should be pursued, and quote on peacekeeprs