McNamara and War
10/07/09 04:11 Filed in: Human Nature
With the passing of Robert McNamara, we have a moment to reflect on a common understanding of human nature.
McNamara was the principle architect behind the Vietnam War. We know now that early on McNamara knew the US couldn't win. But he didn't recommend pulling out (thus violating one of the principles of just war theory handed down through the ages). What's more interesting for me is that McNamara that human nature was essentially and ultimately aggressive. He thought we would always be at war. How much, I wonder, did later presidents inherit his belief bout human nature.
This thought has been held by many. It even shows up in fiction. Elizabeth Haydon writes a wonderful fantasy series The Symphony of Ages. One of the main characters is Achmed the Snake. Achmed believes that peace is just an intermission between wars when the intelligent plan for the next war. It's just human -- or bolg - nature.
But to what extent does human history testify to this? And to what extent can we escape war? Obviously, war marks human history, highlighting many of the transitions in time. But we needn't believe that war is inescapable. What we need to do is look at how societies avoid war. Democracy isn't necessarily the answer. However, an article in Discover suggests some possibilities:
Empowering females
Control Population Growth
Find Alternatives to Fossil Fuels
Avoid Tribalism
Avoid Religious Fundamentalism
We should recognize that human nature is fluid. As fluid, we can change our fates. We can make the world the way we want. But this means taking progressive steps toward making that future real and taking steps which increase the likelihood of that future. It's just like losing weight and maintaining a healthy life-style -- plan ahead, work hard, and don't be pessimistic in the face of inevitable stumbles.
McNamara was the principle architect behind the Vietnam War. We know now that early on McNamara knew the US couldn't win. But he didn't recommend pulling out (thus violating one of the principles of just war theory handed down through the ages). What's more interesting for me is that McNamara that human nature was essentially and ultimately aggressive. He thought we would always be at war. How much, I wonder, did later presidents inherit his belief bout human nature.
This thought has been held by many. It even shows up in fiction. Elizabeth Haydon writes a wonderful fantasy series The Symphony of Ages. One of the main characters is Achmed the Snake. Achmed believes that peace is just an intermission between wars when the intelligent plan for the next war. It's just human -- or bolg - nature.
But to what extent does human history testify to this? And to what extent can we escape war? Obviously, war marks human history, highlighting many of the transitions in time. But we needn't believe that war is inescapable. What we need to do is look at how societies avoid war. Democracy isn't necessarily the answer. However, an article in Discover suggests some possibilities:
Empowering females
Control Population Growth
Find Alternatives to Fossil Fuels
Avoid Tribalism
Avoid Religious Fundamentalism
We should recognize that human nature is fluid. As fluid, we can change our fates. We can make the world the way we want. But this means taking progressive steps toward making that future real and taking steps which increase the likelihood of that future. It's just like losing weight and maintaining a healthy life-style -- plan ahead, work hard, and don't be pessimistic in the face of inevitable stumbles.
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