Summary
War is a behavior pattern exhibited by many primate species including man, and also found in many ant species. The primary feature of this behavior pattern is a certain state of organized violent conflict that is engaged in between two or more separate social entities. Such a conflict is always an attempt at altering either the psychological hierarchy or the material hierarchy of domination or equality between two or more groups. In all cases, at least one participant or group in the conflict perceives the need to either psychologically or materially dominate the other participant. The perceived need for domination often arises from the belief that an essential ideology or resource is somehow either so incompatible or so scarce as to threaten the fundamental existence of the one group experiencing the need to dominate the other group.
Peace is a quality describing a society or a relationship that is operating harmoniously. This is commonly understood as the absence of hostility, or the existence of healthy or newly-healed interpersonal or international relationships, safety in matters of social or economic welfare, the acknowledgment of equality and fairness in political relationships and, in world matters, peacetime; a state of being absent of any war or conflict. Reflection on the nature of peace is also bound up with considerations of the causes for its absence or loss. Among these potential causes are: insecurity, social injustice, economic inequality, political and religious radicalism, and acute racism and nationalism. From the Anglo-Norman pas , and meaning “freedom from civil disorder”, the English word came into use in various personal greetings from c.1300 as a translation of the biblical terms pax and Greek which in turn were renderings of the Hebrew shalom. Shalom, cognate with the Arabic “salaam”, has multiple meanings: safety, welfare, prosperity, security, fortune, friendliness. The personalized meaning is reflected in a nonviolent lifestyle, which also describes a relationship between any people characterized by respect, justice and goodwill. This latter understanding of peace can also pertain to an individual’s sense of himself or herself, as to be “at peace” with one’s own mind attested in Europe from c.1200. The early English term is also used in the sense of “quiet”, reflecting a calm, serene, and meditative approach to the family or group relationships that avoids quarreling and seeks tranquility an absence of disturbance or agitation.
Student Contributed Research Projects and Learning Agreements
This topic is open for Learning Service Agreements. If you are a student and you would like publish an article about the political issue War & Peace, click here for details.
Approved student research papers will be published here
Important War & Peace Related Issues
War & Peace – Modeste Seri, courageous peace activist and CW/PS Board member finally released from arbitrary detention by Ivory Coast authorities …
War & Peace – Created to promote understanding of the “disastrous consequences of war upon man’s spiritual, intellectual, and material progress.
External Links to War & Peace Issues
War & Peace – The War & Peace Foundation’s most urgent task is to bring about total nuclear disarmament in the United States and around the world; to phase out nuclear …
War & Peace – Strengthens local journalism in areas of conflict. By training reporters, facilitating dialogue, and providing reliable information, it supports peace, …
References
http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warhttp://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peace