Wars - When will there be an end to them?

[Hermit]

The usual suspects will have a single word answer: Never. History is on their side. Just over 75 years ago, on May 7, 1945, the German High Command, in the person of General Alfred Jodl, signed the unconditional surrender of all German forces. There has not been a day before or since without a war being fought somewhere on this planet. As Hermann Göring observed shortly before he committed suicide, it is easy to make people want to go to war.



I am not quite as as categorical about it. Wars will end when the soldiers and patriots realise that they have more in common with one another than the people at the tip of their nations' respective hierarchies who send them off to die. So the answer may amount to the same thing - never. Or maybe not.

[Brian Peacock]

War... woah woah woah wo... what is it good for?

[Seabass]

First we obviously have to outgrow religion and racism. We also have to greatly reduce income inequality. We've always been making progress in the right direction, albeit at a glacial pace. I think there's a decent chance we could have ended war eventually, but for our refusal to address global warming. We're just not going to be around that much longer.

[pErvinalia]

Strong social democracies. Don't see the scandi countries warring that much.

[JimC]

When the whole of the Earth's population finally abandons militarism, becomes mature and sensible in relating to others, and finally destroys all military equipment, we will be invaded and enslaved by vicious aliens...

[Animavore]

When we take oil out of the equation by going green.

/reductive

[Brian Peacock]

it ain't nothing but a heart-breaker. Friend only to the undertaker.

[NineBerry]

Only the dead have seen the end of war.

[pErvinalia]

That's quotable.

[Hermit]

That's quotable.

Attributed to Plato by General Douglas MacArthur in 1962. The earliest source found is George Santayana's Soliloquies in England, 1924, wherein it isn't attributed it anyone.

Did Plato write
"Only the dead have seen the end of war" ?

[Cunt]

Until resources aren't 'valuable', animals will compete for them.

What I worry about, are the stupid people. An example...

The US army, who has reason to use EVERY body they can, will simply NOT take anyone if their IQ is too low. This means a significant percentage of the population are SO unproductive, even the ARMY can't make use of them. Even with their HR department armed and able to order work done.

So with those folks (maybe I am among them) what do we do?

There certainly ARE people who will never be productive. I love some of them. Who among us should be forced to pay for them?

That is the problem I think is more important. Our borders are becoming more and more meaningless (or porous) and as travel tech improves, that will only go in one direction.

When Niven's 'transfer booths' arrive, everyone will be next-door to each other.

[Scot Dutchy]

As long as there is greed there will be war.