Understanding War – A Philosophical Inquiry | John McMurtry | Science for Peace (1989)

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Executive Summary

1. Purpose and Scope

This paper interrogates the underlying assumptions that govern modern warfare and national security frameworks. McMurtry advances a philosophical critique of the military paradigm, revealing how it embeds an unquestioned logic equating security with destructive power and legitimizing systemic mass homicide under the guise of necessity.

2. The Problem with the Military Paradigm

• Reductionism of war: War is conventionally defined as organized, armed engagement aiming to kill or disable as many opponents as efficiently as possible.

• Tribal a priori: National security discourse presupposes that “our” side is inherently justified, while the “enemy” is immoral and expendable.

• Superstitions of necessity: Concepts like deterrence, defense, and national interest perpetuate circular reasoning that normalizes mass violence, even when historical evidence shows such approaches increase insecurity and instability.

3. Rethinking the “Enemy”

McMurtry reframes the central question: Who — or what — is the real enemy?

• Pathological wars target human beings, ecosystems, and infrastructures, creating cycles of devastation.

• Enabling wars target disabling patterns — disease, poverty, corruption, environmental degradation — and are evolutionary drivers of collective flourishing.

• The military-industrial complex itself emerges as the principal “enemy” when it perpetuates fear, inequality, and destruction while failing to deliver genuine security.

4. Discovering Just and Enabling Wars

Traditional just war theory is inadequate because it assumes large-scale homicide as an inherent necessity. McMurtry proposes a more radical ethical distinction:

• The pattern of disabling behavior — not the person — should be the target.

• Strategies should focus on dismantling coercive systems rather than annihilating human beings.

• Alternatives include non-military “wars” on shared threats — pandemics, environmental collapse, systemic exploitation, and militarization itself.

5. Political Economy of Militarization

The perpetuation of militarized security serves entrenched ruling interests rather than collective well-being.

• Military expenditures divert resources from health, education, and environmental stewardship.

• “National security” rhetoric masks systemic economic exploitation, reinforcing cycles of global inequality.

• The arms race deepens insecurity, driving geopolitical instability and ecological collapse.

6. Toward a Cooperative Paradigm of Peace

McMurtry advocates for a shift from militarized domination to life-enabling cooperation:

• Reframe war as the collective targeting of existential threats rather than human adversaries.

• Redirect political, economic, and technological energies towards global challenges requiring shared action.

• Replace the mythology of “defense” with a planetary ethic grounded in common survival and flourishing.

7. Conclusion

Understanding War dismantles the metaphysical, ethical, and political assumptions that perpetuate armed conflict. It invites readers to rethink the very foundations of security, identity, and collective purpose. By distinguishing between life-destructive and life-enabling forms of “war,” McMurtry offers a transformative framework for transcending the institutional logic of militarization and cultivating sustainable, cooperative peace.