Summary
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the history and philosophy of warfare. The British historian Edward Gibbon wrote: “Every age, however destitute of science or virtue, sufficiently abounds with acts of blood and military renown.” War, it seems, is one of mankind’s most constant companions, one that has blighted the lives and troubled the minds of men and women from antiquity onwards. Plato envisaged a society without war, but found it had no arts, no culture and no political system. In our own time the United Nations struggles but often fails to prevent the outbreak of conflict. But how has war been understood throughout the ages? Who has it served and how has it been justified? Is war inherent to human beings or could society be organised to the exclusion of all conflict?With Sir Michael Howard, Emeritus Professor of Modern History at the University of Oxford; Angie Hobbs, Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Warwick; Jeremy Black, Professor of History at the University of Exeter.
Transcript
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| 0:46.2 | you enjoy the program. Hello the historian Edward Gibbon wrote every age however |
| 0:51.2 | destitute of science or virtue, sufficiently abounds with acts of blood and military renown. |
| 0:57.0 | War, it seems, is one of mankind's most constant companions, one that has blighted the lives and troubled the minds of men and women from |
| 1:03.7 | antiquity onwards. Plato and visited a society without war but found it had no |
| 1:07.8 | arts, no culture and no political system. War was often thought as desirable. |
| 1:12.2 | It's peace which is now desirable. But how has |
| 1:15.4 | war been understood through the ages, who is it served and how has it been |
| 1:18.7 | justified? Is war inherent to human beings or could society be organized to the exclusion of all |
| 1:24.1 | conflict with me to discuss the thought and history of war are Sir Michael Howard |
| 1:28.3 | emeritus professor of Modern History at the University of Oxford and |
| 1:31.6 | she Hobbs lecturing philosophy at the University of Warwick and Jeremy Black |
| 1:35.6 | professor of history at the University of Exeter. And G Hobbs war featured greatly |
| 1:40.1 | in Greek life, in a sense the foundation of our literature is the great war book in the ad. |
| 1:45.4 | Can you just say what Homer said in around 800 BC about war in that book? |
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