Comments on: War as Altruism

By: The Truth About War "For A Good Cause" : Philaahzophy

The Truth About War "For A Good Cause" : Philaahzophy — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 04:54:20 +0000

[...] Handmaiden recently posted on the topic of War As Altruism - The more I think about it, the less the idea makes sense. The machinery of war is the machinery [...]

By: themaiden

themaiden — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 19:09:31 +0000

ohwilleke,

Hi. I’d actually forgotten about the term, ‘Pottery Barn’. Had I remembered it, I’d probably have used it.

Really, it is the use of that argument where military might is concerned that I am questioning. I mean, would you protect a pottery barn by driving tanks through it? That’s kind of the question.

By: ohwilleke

ohwilleke — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 20:28:37 +0000

I think your two reasons are really a thesis and conclusion of a single reason, commonly known as the “Pottery Barn” rule and generally a morally defensible one.

Political support for the Pottery Barn rule is declining largely because the premise “if we leave, it will get worse” is looking less and less plausible, so the conclusion (therefore we have to say) doesn’t follow.

The prospect of a genocide directed at Sunni Arabs is not only plausible, it is happening right now in slow motion. The real debate if whether it is inevitable sooner or later, in which case, the argument for staying weakens.

By: themaiden

themaiden — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 14:19:59 +0000

Sometimes it is.

By: jameshigham

jameshigham — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 13:56:27 +0000

…I am not opposed to taking sides….

Sometimes that’s the way to end the conflict quickly.