PACE-310, Survey in Peace and Conflict Studies

Week 6: War or Bridging the objective and the subjective

views of conflict.

I. Classifications of War:
A. By Resources
1. Public War (public tax monies uses)
2. Private War (private monies used (guerrilla wars)
3. Mixed War (mixed public and private money used)

B. By Degrees:
1. Hot War (war with combat)
2. Cold War (war without combat)

C. Legal Definitions:
1. War (officially and openly declared)
2. Armed Conflict (unofficially declared)

II. Two Types of Definitions:

A. Essential Definition
B. Non-Essential Definition
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The Hatter opened his eyes very wide on hearing this; but all he said was,
`Why is a raven like a writing-desk?'
`Come, we shall have some fun now!' thought Alice. `I'm glad they've begun
asking riddles.--I believe I can guess that,' she added aloud.
`Do you mean that you think you can find out the answer to it?' said the
March Hare.
`Exactly so,' said Alice.
`Then you should say what you mean,' the March Hare went on.
`I do,' Alice hastily replied; `at least--at least I mean what I say--that's the
same thing, you know.'
`Not the same thing a bit!' said the Hatter. `You might just as well say that "I
see what I eat" is the same thing as "I eat what I see"!'
`You might just as well say,' added the March Hare, `that "I like what I get"
is the same thing as "I get what I like"!'
`You might just as well say,' added the Dormouse, who seemed to be talking
in his sleep, `that "I breathe when I sleep" is the same thing as "I sleep when
I breathe"!'
`It is the same thing with you,' said the Hatter, and here the conversation
dropped, . . . . http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~rgs/alice-table.html Accessed 13 June 2012
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1. QUIZ #1: On a sheet of paper, answer in

a few words:
What is war?

How would you define war?

in a FEW words
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War is "violence," "large-scale

organized violence/armed conflict
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2. QUIZ #2: Based ONLY on information from the film be prepared to

answer questions such as:

a. Who fought in WWII?

b. Why did they fight?
c. Who won?
d. Who lost?
e. Who were the leaders?
f. and the like

3. While watching the film, notice:

a. Importance of General Mark Clark's introductory remarks. Why

was General Clark asked to give the introduction.

b. Importance of maps. Why were maps used during the film?

c. Importance of smoke. Why were three types of smoke seen in the

film?

Huston, John. 1985 [1943]. San Pietro (Battle of San Pietro). War
Department, Army Pictorial Service (Chicago, IL: International Historic
Films. (30min, b&w, 1/2in) VIDEOTAPE 3781.
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War and the Whole-Part Fallacy

How large a part of war is combat?

Vietnam War (1964-1975)

Total Service Members 8,744,000
Serving in-theater 3,403,000
Battle deaths 47,424
Other deaths in service (theater) 10,785
Other deaths in service (nontheater) 32,000
Nonmortal woundings 153,303
Living veterans 7,286,5001\
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0004615.html Accessed 11
March 2009, America's Wars: U.S. Casualties and Veterans
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Thinking about War: Three Thoughts on

the Principle of Double Effect

I. Which is the cause for greater concern?

A. Cancer killed 559,321 Americans in 2005 (22.8% of all deaths)

B. Automobile accidents killed 42,636 and injured 2.9 million

Americans in 2005.
The cost was $230 billion for 6,420,000 accidents.

C. Combat killed 653,708 Americans between 1775 and 2006.

II. Does a General Rule Cover Specific Cases?

A. A General Rule: The Greatest Good for the Greatest Number

1. Because 95% of automobile driving is beneficial and only

5% harmful, therefore, automobile driving is to be encouraged.

2. Because 95% of wars with combat is harmful and only 5% is

beneficial, therefore, wars with combat are to be condemned.

B. A Specific Case:

1. Joe drank two pitchers of beer; should he drive home?

2. Joe drank one can of beer; should he drive home?

C. The Relative Importance of Different Types of Knowledge

1. The most important thing to know about cancer is not that

people often die.

2. The most important thing to know about war is not that

people often die.

http://www.car-accidents.com/pages/stats.html Accessed 11 March 2009

http://www.cancer.org/docroot/PRO/content/PRO_1_1_Cancer_Statistics_2008_Presentation.asp 11 March 2009
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0004615.html Accessed 11 March 2009 (battle deaths)
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Essential and Non-Essential

Definitions
1. ESSENTIAL DEFINITIONS try to identify the unique
character or "essence" of a thing by identifying the
necessary and sufficient conditions for the thing to be what
it is.
X is y, if y is a + b
"Man is a laughing animal."
a) necessary condition (ie, genus) = an animal
b. sufficient condition (ie, species) = laughs

War is "violence," "large-scale organized violence/

armed conflict

2. NON-ESSENTIAL DEFINITIONS try to identify the

"family resemblance" of a thing (Wittgenstein).

Man is a self-conscious, rational, language possessed,

bipedal, opposable fingered, mammal.
“Defining War05.doc”
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Non-Essentialist Definition of War

A. For invisible or non-cinematographic part of war:
1. Formally, war is a performative speech act
openly declared.

2. Legally, war is the state and condition of enmity

(Peace, therefore, is the state and condition of
amity).

3. Substantially, war is a dispute over sovereignty,

who lays down the law.

4. Diplomatically, war is the continuation of policy

by other means.

5. Economically, war is the disruption of trade and

commerce.

B. For the visible or cinematographic part of war:

6. Militarily, war is movement over terrain.
a. Unarmed warfare is the movement to or
defense of favorable terrain by means of
maneuver only.

b. Armed warfare is the movement to or

defense of favorable terrain by means of fire
and maneuver.

7. Cinematographically, war is the violence of

armed or unarmed combat.
“Defining War05.doc”
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Legal and Illegal Types of Armed Force

A. Legal Types of Armed Force

1. Public War
2. Private War
3. Mixed War
B. Semi-Legal Types of Armed Force

3. Armed Conflict
4. Covert (Secret) Wars
C. Illegal Types of Armed Force

5. Brigandage
“Defining War05.doc”