What’s Wrong with Pacifism: It Confuses Contingency with Utility
The objection to force and violence, whether entirely or only for Christians, is misguided. The nature of God, the role of believers, and the universal nature of ethics all attest to the same thing regarding violence. The argument of this post is one small step among many intended to make clear why pacifism is wrong.
There are some things people do solely for the benefit it brings. A man buys gasoline not because gasoline is good, but because getting where he wants to go really fast and without sweat is good. Gasoline is good only insofar as it is useful for accomplishing another good. That usefulness is called utility. The fact that gasoline is only valuable because of its utility is what makes transitioning to different sources of energy possible–what makes the prospect of non-gasoline-consuming cars which could run just as well as gasoline cars but without petroleum’s side-effects so appealing.
Also, there are some things which are what they are only because other things are what they are. If it is hot outside Read the rest of this entry »
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