Editorial note: If you have not yet read our mission statement above, please do so in order that you can put our blogs in context. 

10 October 2013

Война и миръ

Der ewige Friede ist ein Traum, und nicht einmal ein schöner, und der Krieg ist ein Glied in Gottes Weltordnung. In ihm entfalten sich die edelsten Tugenden des Menschen, Mut und Entsagung, Pflichttreue und Opferwilligkeit mit Einsetzung des Lebens. Ohne den Krieg würde die Welt im Materialismus versumpfen.

Perpetual peace is a dream, and not even a beautiful one at that. War is part of God’s plan for the world. In war are displayed mankind’s noblest virtues – courage and renunciation, devotion to duty, and the self-sacrifice that comes of putting one’s life on the line. Without war, the world would sink into materialism.

Extract from a letter written by Field Marshal Helmuth Karl Bernhard Graf von Moltke (1800-1891), Chief of the Prussian General Staff, to Swiss international lawyer Johann Kaspar Bluntschli (1808-1881) on 11 December 1880.

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 You might perhaps care to view some of our earlier posts.  For instance:

1. Why? or How? That is the question (3 Jan 2012)

2. Partitocracy v. Democracy (20 July 2012)

3. The shoddiest possible goods at the highest possible prices (2 Feb 2012)

4. Capitalism in practice  (4 July 2012) 

5.Ladder  (21 June 2012)

 6. A tale of two cities (1)  (6 June 2012)

 7. A tale of two cities (2)  (7 June 2012)

 8. Where’s the beef? Ontology and tinned meat (31 Jan 2012)

Every so often we shall change this sample of previously published posts.