Why Men Fight

Front Cover
Routledge, Sep 10, 2009 - History - 192 pages

Also published under the title of Principals of Social Reconstruction, and written in response to the devastation of World War I, Why Men Fight lays out Bertrand Russell's ideas on war, pacifism, reason, impulse, and personal liberty. He argues that the individualistic approach of traditional liberalism has reached its limits and that when individuals live passionately, they will have no desire for war or killing. Conversely, excessive restraint or reason causes us to live unnaturally and with hostility toward those who are unlike ourselves. This formidable work greatly contributed to Russell’s fame as a formidable social critic and anti-war activist.

 

Contents

1 THE PRINCIPLE OF GROWTH
1
2 THE STATE
24
3 WAR AS AN INSTITUTION
46
4 PROPERTY
69
5 EDUCATION
91
6 MARRIAGE AND THE POPULATION QUESTION
108
7 RELIGION AND THE CHURCHES
128
8 WHAT WE CAN DO
146
INDEX
163
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