War is one of the oldest traditions in human history that costs millions of innocent lives and destroys families across the globe. There must be a logical explanation for such a barbaric act; the justification for war must lie in human nature. War can stem from power, money, greed, justice, and these reasons have been justified in the past as being in the best interest of the group as a whole. Especially in the case of defending basic human rights, people are often persuaded to participate in the act of war. This flexing of power convinces people they are doing the right thing by devaluing the human mind and body to the equivalent of a pawn, blindly following their leaders to death for the government’s benefit. However, there are many people
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This would suggest that oppression and fighting for basic human rights would justify the consequences of war. However, that does not excuse that participating in the same behavior puts the Mytileneans on the same level as the Athenians. Cleon is criticized for taking advantage of his power and having no compassion for the value of human life. Their actions are therefore barbaric and unacceptable. Participating in the same behavior and expecting a different kind of result in return puts one at the same barbaric level. Athens is barbaric in their treatment of people and erasing peoples’ families and history. Does that mean that they deserve to be erased from history, too?
The Mytilenean king did not want to go to war with Athens, he simply did not want to submit to Cleon’s tyrannical rule. However, the decision to go to war could be justified for the Mytileneans. Athens is likely to breed more people who hold the same values through socialization within their civilization. It could be effective to strip Athens of their power in order to encourage new forms of power to surface. These new leaders could bring political reform that includes power without the need for war. In that case, war is justified because it would bring forth a new era in which war would no longer be …show more content…
Starting from thirteen colonies, the United States has spread its influence from coast to coast in order to build a “perfect union.” This influence has since spread across the oceans; the United States has become a powerhouse similar to Athens. Instead of trying to drain others of resources, the US has acted like an all-knowing nation that has the power to interfere in international relations. In 20th century, this positively affected the United States and brought the country together in war. It is hard to argue that the country was prosperous during this time. However, looking at the late 20th century, there were plenty of people who opposed the Vietnam War and the Korean War; there was no reason to use violence against a people who served no direct threat to the United States. However, the people in power used their authority to spread violence and enforce their thinking onto those nations as a preemptive strike against the potential dangers of communism. This, in return, tore the country apart and brought forward a new era in which the citizens of the United States would no longer blindly follow their
This would suggest that oppression and fighting for basic human rights would justify the consequences of war. However, that does not excuse that participating in the same behavior puts the Mytileneans on the same level as the Athenians. Cleon is criticized for taking advantage of his power and having no compassion for the value of human life. Their actions are therefore barbaric and unacceptable. Participating in the same behavior and expecting a different kind of result in return puts one at the same barbaric level. Athens is barbaric in their treatment of people and erasing peoples’ families and history. Does that mean that they deserve to be erased from history, too?
The Mytilenean king did not want to go to war with Athens, he simply did not want to submit to Cleon’s tyrannical rule. However, the decision to go to war could be justified for the Mytileneans. Athens is likely to breed more people who hold the same values through socialization within their civilization. It could be effective to strip Athens of their power in order to encourage new forms of power to surface. These new leaders could bring political reform that includes power without the need for war. In that case, war is justified because it would bring forth a new era in which war would no longer be …show more content…
Starting from thirteen colonies, the United States has spread its influence from coast to coast in order to build a “perfect union.” This influence has since spread across the oceans; the United States has become a powerhouse similar to Athens. Instead of trying to drain others of resources, the US has acted like an all-knowing nation that has the power to interfere in international relations. In 20th century, this positively affected the United States and brought the country together in war. It is hard to argue that the country was prosperous during this time. However, looking at the late 20th century, there were plenty of people who opposed the Vietnam War and the Korean War; there was no reason to use violence against a people who served no direct threat to the United States. However, the people in power used their authority to spread violence and enforce their thinking onto those nations as a preemptive strike against the potential dangers of communism. This, in return, tore the country apart and brought forward a new era in which the citizens of the United States would no longer blindly follow their