Abstract
Abstract Mozi and Immanuel Kant are two of the best-known philosophers in history to have meditated on the topics of war and peace. Their philosophical outlooks on the origins of conflict and on ways to prevent war and preserve peace for all humankind are similar. But conceptual differences reveal the distinct cultures from which they emerged. Governed by a clear-cut opposition to war, Mozi’s thought remains unique. The propositions of “impartial love” and “opposing military aggression” are grounded in this belief, and so are Mozi’s effective defense theories and his practice of pacifism, as well as his rational and reflective approach to overcoming warfare – that is, how to go from a state of passive peace to active peace. Kant’s program of “perpetual peace” is similar in many regards to Mozi’s thinking, but it is also more revealing of the modernity of its own logic, especially because it refers to notions such as democracy, government, and institutions, which are in turn rooted in the more systematic theories advanced in Kant’s Three Critiques. The ideas of both philosophers profoundly influenced human history, and their value and brilliance are still celebrated today. However, many regions of the world remain afflicted by unceasing conflict between religious or ethnic groups. This is precisely why it can still prove valuable for us to carefully consider the intellectual legacy of two of the greatest thinkers in history. The limitations of their philosophies, especially when it comes to the new challenges now faced by humanity, offer an opportunity for pondering historical issues and modern solutions.
Highlights
The Grim Picture of International Conflicts TodaySince its very beginning, the historical development of human civilization has invariably been accompanied by incessant competition and conflicts as well as unrelenting warfare
Kant’s program of “perpetual peace” is similar in many regards to Mozi’s thinking, but it is more revealing of the modernity of its own logic, especially because it refers to notions such as democracy, government, and institutions, which are in turn rooted in the more systematic theories advanced in Kant’s Three Critiques
No conflicts of a similar magnitude have occurred for more than half a century, local hostilities have been ongoing. They include tragic events such as the Rwandan genocide; the two-thousand-year Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which shows no signs of resolution – on the contrary, because of the inextricability of the situation, it is making all the peacemakers in the world exceedingly anxious; the unceasing hostilities in which the Korean Peninsula has been mired since World War II and in which the competing interests of the world’s great powers are at stake
Summary
The Grim Picture of International Conflicts TodaySince its very beginning, the historical development of human civilization has invariably been accompanied by incessant competition and conflicts as well as unrelenting warfare.
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