Pacifism: Strategies for Peace in a World of Conflict

By Fouad Sabry

What is Pacifism

Pacifism is the opposition or resistance to war, militarism or violence. The word pacifism was coined by the French peace campaigner Émile Arnaud and adopted by other peace activists at the tenth Universal Peace Congress in Glasgow in 1901. A related term is ahimsa, which is a core philosophy in Indian religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. While modern connotations are recent, having been explicated since the 19th century, ancient references abound.

How you will benefit

(I) Insights, and validations about the following topics:

Chapter 1: Pacifism

Chapter 2: Conscientious objector

Chapter 3: Nonviolence

Chapter 4: Anarcho-pacifism

Chapter 5: Peace churches

Chapter 6: Nonresistance

Chapter 7: International Fellowship of Reconciliation

Chapter 8: Peace News

Chapter 9: List of anti-war organizations

Chapter 10: War Resisters' International

(II) Answering the public top questions about pacifism.

Who this book is for

Professionals, undergraduate and graduate students, enthusiasts, hobbyists, and those who want to go beyond basic knowledge or information for any kind of Pacifism.

• Language: English
• Publisher: One Billion Knowledgeable
• Release date: Jun 2, 2024

Book preview

Chapter 1: Pacifism

The rejection of or resistance to war is pacifism, violence or militarism (including conscription and compulsory military service).

The word pacifism was coined by the French peace campaigner Émile Arnaud and adopted by other peace activists at the tenth Universal Peace Congress in Glasgow in 1901.

The word ahimsa is related (to do no harm), It is a fundamental tenet of Indian religions like Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism.

While they are recent, modern connotations, with explanations dating back to the 19th century, Numerous references to the past.

Leo Tolstoy rekindled interest in his latter writings, particularly in The Kingdom of God Is Within You, for modern readers. The satyagraha method of constant peaceful resistance that Mahatma Gandhi advocated was crucial to the success of the Indian Independence Movement. Martin Luther King Jr., James Lawson, Mary and Charles Beard, James Bevel, and many others in the civil rights movement were inspired by its effectiveness.

Anarchist or libertarian pacifism, for example, rejects the use of physical force to advance political, economic, or social goals, calls for the eradication of force, and opposition to violence in all forms, including self-defense. Pacifism encompasses a wide range of viewpoints, including the conviction that international disputes can and should be settled through peaceful means. According to historians of pacifism Peter Brock and Thomas Paul Socknat, pacifism is an unqualified rejection of all forms of conflict in the meaning that is commonly recognized in English-speaking nations..

There are two possible foundations for pacifism: pragmatism or deontological ideas (a consequentialist view). According to principled pacifism, violence of any kind, from war to physical assault on another person, crosses a moral line at some point along the continuum. According to pragmatic pacifism, there must be better ways to settle disagreements because the costs of war and interpersonal violence are so great.

Some pacifists adhere to peaceful ideas because they think it is ethically preferable and/or most productive. However, some are in favor of using physical force to defend oneself or others in an emergency. Others support destroying property in such situations or engaging in symbolic acts of resistance, such as painting military recruitment centers with red paint to symbolise blood or breaking into air force bases and hammering on military aircraft.

Nonviolent resistance, often known as civil resistance, is not always predicated on a basic denial of all violence in all situations. While acknowledging the value of employing non-violent means in specific situations, many movement leaders and participants have not always adhered to a strict pacifist philosophy. They have occasionally demanded armed protection, such as during the civil rights movement's march from Selma to Montgomery in 1965. There are numerous and intricate linkages between civil resistance and the use of force.

According to the BBC, an absolute pacifist is someone who thinks that because human life is so precious, no one should ever be murdered in the line of duty and no one should ever go to war. Since violence cannot be used to protect someone who is being hurt or killed, the principle is said to be challenging to uphold consistently. Further, it is asserted that a pacifist could reasonably contend that violence resulted in more unfavorable outcomes than non-violence.

Using the just war concept A spectrum of opinions that differ from those of absolute pacifism is represented by conditional pacifism. The common pacificism is one such conditional pacifism that may permit defense but does not advocate a default pacifism or even interventionism.

Despite the fact that all pacifists abhor war between governments, there have been instances in which they have backed military engagement in the case of civil war or revolution.

Pacifism has always been promoted in literature and history.

The pacifist Mohist School condemned violent warfare between the feudal powers during the Warring States era. In an effort to discourage feudal lords from engaging in expensive war, they put this philosophy into practice by deploying their renowned defensive methods to defend smaller kingdoms from attack by larger nations. Ancient China's Seven Military Classics have a dismal view of war and treat it as a last resort. For instance, the Three Strategies of Huang Shigong write: As for the military, it is an unlucky instrument; as for conflict and contention, it runs contrary to virtue. and the Wei Liaozi write: As for the military, it is an unlucky instrument; as for conflict and contention, it is the way of heaven to despise it..

Lemba, lemba (peace, peace), which reflects the behavior of the plant lemba-lemba, is the name of the Lemba religion of the southern French Congo (Brillantaisia patula T. Anders).

The Moriori, within the Chatham Islands, at the directive of their ancestor Nunuku-whenua, who was a pacifist.

This allowed the Moriori to save their scarce resources in their difficult environment, minimizing waste via conflict.

In turn, this led to their almost complete annihilation in 1835 by invading Ngāti Mutunga and Ngāti Tama Māori from the Taranaki region of the North Island of New Zealand.

The invading Māori killed, cannibalized and enslaved the Moriori.

According to a Moriori survivor, "[The Maori] started killing us like sheep.

We were frightened, hid in a bush, hid ourselves underground in holes, and everywhere to avoid our foes.

It was useless; Men, we were found and killed, Without distinction, women and children.

Pacifism doesn't appear to have existed in Ancient Greece other than as a general moral principle opposing interpersonal violence. There doesn't appear to have been a philosophical movement that opposed violence in all its manifestations, including conflict between states. The Peloponnesian War, which lasted from 431-404 BCE, is depicted in Aristophanes' play Lysistrata as an anti-war sex strike by an Athens lady. The play has received recognition around the world for its anti-war message. Although it gives a practical resistance to the destructiveness of war and is both fictitious and humorous, the message seems to come from irritation with the ongoing battle (at the time in its twentieth year) rather than from a philosophical stand against violence or war. The peaceful demonstration of Hegetorides of Thasos is also made up. Strong anti-war sentiments were also conveyed in Euripides' works, particularly The Trojan Women.

Several Roman authors, such as Propertius, Tibullus, and Ovid, opposed the militarism of Roman society and expressed anti-war sentiments.

Many people throughout history have believed that Jesus of Nazareth was a pacifist. However, the New Testament tale shows that, in addition to preaching these words, Jesus readily surrendered to an enemy who wanted to kill him and forbade his followers from defending him.

But some disagree, saying that Jesus wasn't a pacifist.

The Protestant Reformation, which started in the 16th century, gave rise to numerous new Christian groups, including the traditional peace churches. The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), Amish, Mennonites, Hutterites, and Church of the Brethren were foremost among them. One of the Renaissance's most vocal pacifists was the humanist writer Desiderius Erasmus, who made a strong case against violence in his articles The Praise of Folly (1509) and The Complaint of Peace (1517).

The Quakers were well-known pacifists who, as early as 1660, rejected all forms of violence and followed a completely pacifist understanding of Christianity. They communicated their opinions to King Charles II in a declaration:

"This is our testimony to the entire world: we categorically reject all outer conflicts and strife, as well as fightings with outward weapons, for any reason or