Q&A: Does War Save Humanity?
Does War Save Humanity?
Question
Hello,
Recently I was presented with the claim that human nature is geared toward war (fighting over values, money, territory, and even peace). Beyond that, it was argued that if Israel were not engaged in a constant war against the Palestinians, we would reach a situation in which there would be an Arab majority here, and effectively the elimination of the existence of a Jewish state. The proof offered for this is the situation in Europe, where the countries lived in peace (supposedly) with their surroundings, and now they are drowning in Muslim immigrants who threaten their identity. And the only thing that will save them from all this is war (whether through right-wing parties, “discriminatory” laws, and the like). Despite the force of his arguments, I find it hard to accept the idea that war is human nature — are we condemned to fight forever, with no aspiration for quiet and peace?
This also seems contrary to the Jewish value system at the most basic level (for example, there is a decree to conquer the Land, but the ultimate aspiration is, in my view, to reach rest and inheritance).
I would be glad to hear your opinion on the matter. I have turned this idea over many times and cannot find a way out of this troubling claim.
Answer
First, I am not sure about the fundamental claim that without wars the situation would necessarily be problematic. But even if so, that is a psychological condition and has nothing whatsoever to do with values. Obviously, no one would say to go to war just in order to preserve our unity or prevent immigration, and so on. You go to war when there is no choice. The analysis that war is necessary, even if it is correct, is a retrospective analysis (why people wage wars and why that is important, good, or bad). But it is not an argument for going to war in the first place.
For example, suppose the European countries had received notice from an authenticated prophet that they were about to absorb problematic Muslim immigration like today. Would that alone be enough to justify going to war? Certainly not. True, after the fact one can say that if they had gone to war, maybe it would have saved them from the immigration. Therefore, these arguments are not important in my view and are not relevant on the moral plane.