Search for Peace in the Just War Theory

In the article, “Does Peace Have a Chance?” that was printed by Slate on August 4, 2009, the author, John Horgan, evaluates the notion whether the actions and behaviour of mankind leads to antagonism and enmity which is the main cause of war and assesses the possibility of putting an end to war. By utilizing various statistical records and figures from well-renounced intellectuals, John Hogard is making an effort to explain the fatalities and consequences associated to war. This article is well-organized and informative in nature which portrays the author’s opinion and concern. His philosophy is directed by valuable evidences and harsh realities of the modern world.

John Horgan uses death toll rate as a tool to compare the intensity of war during pre-historic and modern era. However, he believes the data collected is inaccurate and not sufficient enough to prove the decline in war. For instance, as per “The Global Burden of Armed Violence”, war related deaths between 2004 to 2007 accounted to 250,000 (277). Additionally, to support this theory, he cited notable academicians to show a decline in war related sufferings in the modern society.

Over the years, there have been various factors that has initiated a hostile scenario in several countries. The author concentrates on the fact that the use of weapons have given more power to the humans. Originally, weapons were used for hunting and horticulture. As time passed and with the evolution of technology, humans were able to create new artilleries such as machine guns and nuclear weapons which has lead to massive destructions. Another reason mentioned in the article was hunger for power. Lastly, cultural differences used to contribute to wide scale violence in the past.

John Horgan gives a ray of hope to the readers by stating that war is not inevitable. He agrees with the studies of Steven Pinker that the rise of democracy and formation of government with legal framework plays an important role in restricting several violent actions and criminal activities. Moreover, due to the increase in life expectancy rate and globalization, people are becoming more compassionate (279). There have been certain instances and opposing views such as rise of terrorism and expenditure on arms by powerful countries such as US, China, and Russia, but Horgan does not address it because he wants his reader to remain optimistic about the future and inspire them to endure positivity.

John Horgan has written a beautiful and an encouraging article. He has used critical analysis and rational thinking to shed a light on the national tragedies driven by war. The two main conceptions of this article are – foundation of war and forecast of its end. The arrangement of paragraphs, use of language, and utilization of statistical data to support the evidence is clear and in a readable format. By the end of the paragraph, the author asks the people to remain calm and co-operate in order to give harmony an opportunity to thrive.