Philosophers on War (Revised Edition)

War changes lives forever in ways unthinkable and the scars of war are personal, social, and cultural. Though often attributed to Plato, it was philosopher George Santayana (1863–1952) who astutely declared: “Only the dead have seen the end of war.” Some may dispute the originality of the words, but few would deny their veracity. Throughout the history of the West secular and religious thinkers have studied the problem of war. This volume seeks to provide an overview of the thought of some leading minds that have shaped ideas on war, peace, and justice. Among the individuals studied are:

Socrates

Thomas Hobbes

Plato

Immanuel Kant

Aristotle

John Rawls

Marcus Aurelius

Michael Foucault

Augustine

Michael Walzer

Thomas Aquinas

Jean Bethke Elshtain

Eric Patterson, Ph.D., is past Dean and tenured Professor at the Robertson School of Government at Regent University and Research Fellow at Georgetown University’s Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs.

Timothy J. Demy, Th.D., Ph.D., is Professor of Military Ethics at the U.S. Naval War College.