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Quote by Michael Walzer

“We don't call war hell because it is fought without restraint. It is more nearly right to say that, when certain restraints are passed, the hellishness of war drives us to break with every remaining restraint in order to win. Here is the ultimate tyranny: those who resist aggression are forced to imitate, and perhaps even to exceed, the brutality of the aggressor.”

Quote by Michael Walzer

Work

Just and Unjust Wars: A Moral Argument with Historical Illustrations

This book delves into the ethical dimensions of warfare, utilizing historical case studies to explore the moral arguments surrounding just and unjust conflicts. more

Author

Michael Walzer
Michael Walzer

Michael Walzer is an American philosopher born on March 3, 1935. He is one of the most important political philosophers of contemporary times, known for his contributions to theories of justice, political philosophy, and moral philosophy. more

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“For as long as men and women have talked about war, they have talked about it in terms of right and wrong. And for almost as long, some among them have derided such talk, called it a charade, insisted that war lies beyond (or beneath) moral judgment. War is a world apart, where life itself is at stake, where human nature is reduced to its elemental forms, where self-interest and necessity prevail. Here men and women do what they must to save themselves and their communities, and morality and law have no place. Inter arma silent leges: in time of war the law is silent.”

“How highly should we honor the Macedonians, who for the greater part of their lives never cease from fighting with the barbarians for the sake of the security of Greece? For who is not aware that Greece would have constantly stood in the greater danger, had we not been fenced by the Macedonians and the honorable ambition of their kings?”