Pacifism: A Philosophy of Nonviolence

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In a world riven with conflict, violence and war, this book proposes a philosophical defense of pacifism. It argues that there is a moral presumption against war and unless that presumption is defeated, war is unjustified. Leading philosopher of non-violence Robert Holmes contends that neither just war theory nor the rationales for recent wars (Vietnam, the Gulf War, the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars) defeat that presumption, hence that war in the modern world is morally unjustified. A detailed, comprehensive and elegantly argued text which guides both students and scholars through the main debates (Just War Theory and double effect to name a few) clearly but without oversimplifying the complexities of the issues or historical examples.

Reviews

Robert L. Holmes has been one of those who never lost sight of war's importance and the urgency of crafting alternatives His new book will be a reference point for all further discussions of the topic. * Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews *
Robert Holme's Pacifism provides a reasoned, careful, and sustained argument against war. It is deeply grounded in the scholarship. It provides fresh insight into historical cases and it confronts some of the most difficult topics in thinking about the morality of war: humanitarian intervention, terrorism, and the right of self defense. The arguments of this book must be confronted by anyone who wants to claim that war can be justified. * Andrew Fiala, Chair of the Department of Philosophy and Director of the Ethics Center, California State University, Fresno, USA *
Pacifism is a most comprehensible, accessible and well-argued work on the philosophy of war. Over 40 years ago Robert L. Holmes introduced the notion of conditional pacifism, the view that one can morally and rationally oppose specific wars or specific sorts or war without adopting absolute pacifism. Over the decades Holmes published views on war developed into both pragmatic pacifism and existential pacifism: general moral opposition to actual modern warfare and personal opposition to warfare based on conscience. These pacifist positions are rationally supported by Holmes pragmatic contextualism, an ethic that avoids moral absolutes including the pitfalls of Just War Theory and utilitarianism. Holmes also addresses the weakness of war realism, noting that modern war is increasingly irrational as well as immoral as evidenced by recent wars in Vietnam, the Middle East, and Kosovo and our notions of humanitarian intervention and terrorism. As life in our warfare state commits us to seemingly never-ending war, we ignore Holmes arguments at our national peril. * Richard Werner, John Stewart Kennedy Professor of Philosophy, Hamilton College, USA *
Starting from broadly accepted moral principles, Holmes develops an account of pacifism as a practical approach to addressing and ending the scourge of war. Clear-eyed, philosophically sophisticated and historically informed, this is a fine book. * Andrew Alexandra, Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics, University of Melbourne, Australia *
Holmes' Pacifism has both rehabilitated the study of pacifism, and made an indispensable contribution to the debate on the justification of war and warfare. Everyone who reads the book will be better able to imagine pacifism and nonviolence ... All readers will find the book an interesting, eloquently written, and thought-provoking introduction to the growing field of pacifism and warism. * Ethical Perspectives *

Author Bio

Robert L. Holmes is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the University of Rochester, USA. His main research is in philosophy of war, the ethics of nonviolence, and contemporary moral problems. He is the author of Basic Moral Philosophy (2006) and On War and Morality (1989), co-author of Philosophical Inquiry (1968), and co-editor of Nonviolence in Theory and Practice (1990). He has published over 75 scholarly papers.