War, War Never Chagnes

In Macbeth there is a focus on killing, and by the end of the play this focus has turned into a full blown war. This made me think about the idea of war as a whole, which led to this blog post.

“War, War never changes.” This quote comes from the Fallout Franchise of video games, but speaks on a more philosophical level than most video games. War has changed throughout time. The invention of new technologies affects the means by which a war is fought. Since the dawn of mankind there has been murder, and what is a war but murder by the multiple sides of a conflict. Therefore all murder is considered a war to some degree in my opinion. Technology has has shown how it affects the means of this murder though the history of humankind. In the first murder it was probably one human beating or strangling another human, but now in the present we are able to kill by means of machines, some of which are automata. This invention of technology affects the scale and path of the killing. One example of the use of technology is the dispersal of mustard gas and other biohazardous materials used in World War I. The advent of the gun and its various forms also has changed the way in which war is fought. From the rank and file lines of the many revolutions to the modern insurgencies of current wars the gun has play the part of the killer. Although technology has its role in war; the use of technology in war is constant. People will utilize anything to give them the upper hand in a conflict.

Another constant of war is the soldier. No matter what war or when it occurred the part of the soldier is undeniable. From the earliest war, soldiers have been used as a means for the side they fight for to accomplish their goal. This use of the soldier has born the idea of a military and power that is given to the leaders of the military. Leaders throughout time have gravitated to the military since it controls the life around it. If the leader was to control the military they would in turn control all the life the military can affect. The soldiers hold the power to snuff out the people that the leader would want to die. The common soldier itself is also an important factor to the war too. As many a soldier would say survival of oneself and the men watching their back is key to getting as far away as possible from the threat of death. This in itself can change the actions that the soldiers take in war and ultimately the final outcome of the war.

The philosophy of war is one which is vastly complex. Firstly since the military is sought by people who want power it has created societies that see aspects of war caught in its culture. The military has long affected the culture of the world by this manner. People are taught the honor and glory of war. The idea of a noble knight regardless of the culture exists by a different name. These honorable warriors promote the military and guide the population to the militaristic thought that the leadership wanted to exploit in the society. The ethics of war are another spectrum of ideas that one could focus on. The example of biohazardous weapons is also a valid example of the strange limits that minds put to work on how war should be conducted. The minds of the various states have come together and decided that the use of biohazardous materials is unethical, yet they do the same thing as any other weapon. The goal of a weapon is to kill in the most effective and efficient way, as cruel as it sounds this is the truth. The biohazardous weapons kill and maim as well as any rocket or bomb. Surely having inhaled poisonous gas damages the body as well as a piece of shrapnel. This notion that weapons are too unethical makes no sense because it is flawed at the core of the idea. What truly makes one weapon more ethical than another.

War has happened and sadly will always. No matter the circumstances the truth that war will happen is inevitable because it is part of mankind. War itself is the constant in this world. If everything else changes in the world it will be war that remains. This is because war; war never changes.

I do not in any way support the use of biohazardous weapons in any way, and I hope I did not come across as sounding as if I did. Also I am not trying to sound totally depressing, but war is important to the world as it exists.