The William James proposal

Main Topic: Coordinator Comments

In the 1995 UNESCO monograph on the culture of peace, it is proposed that to attain a culture of peace, we need to fulfill the functions previously served by the culture of war, including the traits of solidarity and courage:

"Solidarity and courage must be as much a part of the culture of peace as they ever were for a culture of war. A century ago the philosopher/pschologist William James argued tht war would not be abolished until a substitute could be found for the psychological needs it fulfils, such as solidarity, audacity, comradeship, loyalty, courage, the various qualities traditionally associated with the warrior. In his treatise, 'The Moral Equivalent of War', he argued for international sporting games such as the modern Olympics as a possible sustitute."

"Whereas the culture of wr promotes solidarity gainst an enemy which is another group, another nation, another people, the culture of peace promotes solidarity of all people against common threats to their security. it demands that we see the other as an ally in a collective struggle for peace."

"Just as training of warriors to be courageous and strong is central to a culture of war, so, too, training in nonviolence is key to a culture of peace. It is not a passive but an active nonviolence, as described by Mahatma Gandhi, martin Luther King Jr and Nelson Mandela. As they learned and taught, active nonviolence requires great courage and strength, harnessing anter into the struggle against injustice. Unlike the culture of war, in which the wariors are restricted to young men, the culture of peace enlists all, men and women, young and old."