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Looking back at the great changes in political hegemony, from history to the present, you can also predict the future

Today, the Russian-Ukrainian war enters its sixth day. As of midnight on March 1, Russian attacks had killed 536 civilians across Ukraine; 136 civilians, including 13 children, had been killed, according to the United Nations.

When the clouds of war began to envelop the world, we who have been in a peaceful environment for a long time also clearly felt that the world is not always quiet. How do you explain war? And how do you recognize the nature of war and the world?

Today, I would like to share with you the understanding of war by several philosophers, from the monarch philosopher Aurelius, who had extraordinary military talents and distinguished achievements, to John Locke, who specialized in political philosophy, to Russell, a philosopher who was a "pacifist social activist" and a Nobel Laureate.

Looking back at the great changes in political hegemony, from history to the present, you can also predict the future

Picture source picture book "War" (produced by Fantasy Country)

John Locke

John locke

John Locke, 1632–1704, English philosopher. After graduating from university, he worked as a tutor and later devoted himself to writing, making groundbreaking contributions in three fields. The first is pedagogy, he never married, because of the request of a good friend and couple, he wrote a book on children's education, "Educational Film Theory", which became a classic of educational philosophy. The second is political science, and his "Theory of Government" is recognized as the foundation of British liberal political philosophy. The third is epistemology, and his "Theory of Human Understanding" established the first broad epistemology in the history of Western philosophy, enabling Western philosophy to achieve a turn from ontology to epistemology.

State of war

A state of war is a state of hostility and destruction. Thus whoever expresses by words or deeds a calm, definite attempt at the life of another person, rather than a momentary act of intent, places himself in a state of war with the person against whom he proclaims such intent.

Whoever attempts to place another person under his absolute power is at war with that person, which should be understood as an expression of an attempt to take that person's life. For I have reason to conclude that anyone who places me under his power without my consent can dispose of me at will, or even destroy me, after he has acquired me. For no one can wish to place me under his absolute power, except to force me to accept a situation that is not conducive to my right to freedom, that is, to make me a slave.

Whoever, in the state of nature, wishes to take away the freedom of anyone in that state must be assumed to have an attempt to take away everything else, for freedom is the basis of all that remains. In the same way, who in a state of society who wishes to take away the freedom of people of that society or country must be assumed to be an attempt to take away all their other things and to be regarded as in a state of war.

Law, Remedies and Indemnity

Once the use of force ceases to be used, the state of war between the people in society ends with one another, and both sides are equally subject to the just decisions of the law, since there are remedies for past injuries and for preventing future harms. But in the absence of clear law and the remedies of an authoritative adjudicator to whom it may be invoked, as in the state of nature, the state of war continues as soon as it has begun, and the innocent party has the right to destroy the other party whenever possible, until the aggressor proposes peace and is willing to reconcile, on terms that are capable of compensating him for any damage done and guaranteeing the future security of the innocent party.

As long as violence is used and harm is caused, it is violent and injurious, no matter what the name, pretext or form of the law is painted on, even if it is in the hands of those who authorize the enforcement of the law. The purpose of the law is to apply the law justly to all those subject to the law in order to protect and remedy the innocent; if this is not done in good faith, war will be imposed on the victims, who can neither seek redress on earth, in which case there is only one remedy, to Heaven.

Looking back at the great changes in political hegemony, from history to the present, you can also predict the future

Marcus Aurelius

Marco S. Aurelius

Looking back at the great changes in political hegemony, from history to the present, you can also predict the future

Marco S. Marcus Aurelius (121-180 AD), Roman emperor, one of the three great philosophers of the Stoics in ancient Rome, and the only philosopher emperor in Western history. He received a rigorous education in his childhood and loved philosophy in all subjects. He reigned for twenty years and fought for many years, bringing the fortunes of the Roman kingdom to its peak. During the conquest, he diligently pondered life and moral issues, and wrote a small book called "Meditations" and became a masterpiece. He was of high moral character, loved by the people, and was praised as a warrior, a philosopher, and a saint. As a Stoic philosopher, he also advocated reason, emphasizing the use of reason to make correct judgments and maintain peace of mind, so that he could bear misfortune and face death calmly. As an emperor, he attached great importance to his own self-cultivation, determined to be a man of both integrity and benevolence, and considered tolerance to be part of justice.

The nature of the world

People who do not know the nature of the world naturally have no way of knowing where they are. And people who do not know why the world exists will not know their true identity, nor will they know what the world really is. Those who are unable to meet the requirements described above cannot even say what they are living for. So, how do you now see the different kinds of people who have no desire for others or words of praise and who pursue them vigorously? What do you think of people who don't know where they are or who they are?

Asia Minor and Europa are only a corner of the universe, the sea is just a drop in the vast sea of the universe, and Mount Athos is only a small piece of earth in the universe, and the time we are in now is only a point in the eternal timeline of the universe. Everything is very small, fickle and perishable.

Plato had a good saying: those who comment on others should also learn to observe the world condescendingly; they should be examined comprehensively from the following perspectives: people's assemblies, armies, farming, marriages, negotiations, life and death, the clamor of the court, deserted places, barbarian races, festive feasts, funerals, bustling cities, mixed chores, and the orderly union of nations.

Looking back at history, the great changes in political hegemony, from history to the present, you can also predict the future. Because they are similar in form, it is impossible to deviate from the orderly orbit of existing things. Therefore, reflecting on forty years of human life is tantamount to contemplating ten thousand years of human life. Can you see anything newer?

Things that are born on the land must return to the embrace of the land. And those that sprout from the seeds of the Divine will also return to Heaven.

This is either the decomposition or recombination of atoms, or the dissipation of elements of ignorance and unconsciousness.

The worldly life can only be cultivated into a positive result

Be careful, don't mold yourself into Caesar, don't let yourself be contaminated with Caesar's character, though, such a thing can happen. Then, it is still necessary to maintain your own simple, kind, pure, and serious character, to be not hypocritical, to be fair to friends, to worship the gods, to be kind and kind, and to be able to work hard when working for the right things. Try to keep the way Philosophy originally wanted you to be. Worship the gods and purify all sentient beings.

Life is short, and this worldly life can only be cultivated into one positive result—devout disposition and social behavior.

Go back to that waking feeling and awaken your own soul; when you wake yourself up from your slumber, you find that the things that worry you are only in your dreams. Now, when you're awake, look at these things (about you) as you look at those (dreams).

Looking back at the great changes in political hegemony, from history to the present, you can also predict the future

Blaise Pascal

Bryce Pascal

Blaise Pascal (1623–1662) was a French mathematician, physicist, and philosopher. With a keen interest in the natural sciences from an early age, he designed and built the world's first computer at the age of 18, and later became the founder of probability theory. The main philosophical work is "Thought Record", which is based on human nature and human situation, full of passion and rationality, and conducts profound and unique thinking on the spiritual life and beliefs of human beings. The quotations from this chapter are all excerpts from the "Records of Thoughts", and the content is divided into four aspects. I. On thought and belief, including: The full dignity of man lies in thought; faith is the most important thing in life; faith is gambling; and it is the human heart that feels God. On epistemic and spiritual phenomena, including: intuition is more important than reason; spiritual phenomena; dreams and awakening are difficult to distinguish. On human nature, including: the study of human nature; normal human nature; the weakness of human nature; on the self. On life, including: where happiness is; on boredom; solitude and interaction; reading and writing.

Everyone seeks happiness

Everyone seeks happiness, and there is no exception to this; no matter how different the means they employ, they all tend to that goal. What leads some to war, and what makes others not, is the same desire; The will will never take the slightest step forward, except toward this end. This is the motivation for the whole behavior of all people, even those who hang themselves. But after such a long time, there has never been a person without faith who has not reached the point where everyone is constantly looking.

The fallacy is to demand dominion everywhere

Desire and coercion are at the root of all our actions: desire forms voluntary behavior; coercion forms involuntary behavior.

Strong, beautiful, good spirit, pious, each has its own different places of jurisdiction, and cannot be in other places, and their fallacy is that everywhere they demand dominion. But nothing can do this, not even force itself: it will accomplish nothing in the kingdom of scholars; it will be the master of superficial action.

Looking back at the great changes in political hegemony, from history to the present, you can also predict the future

Bertrand Russell

Bertrand Russell

Bertrand Russell (1872-1970), 20th-century British philosopher, mathematical logician, historian, Nobel Prize winner in literature, the main founder of analytic philosophy, was the teacher of the philosopher Wittgenstein. In the 20th century, he was a famous anti-war activist and pacifist social activist in the West. He twice taught at Trinity College, Cambridge, and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1908. He devoted his life to education, ethics, history, politics, marriage, social reform, and peace movements, and wrote extensively, with a distinctive humor and wit. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1950 for his "contribution to the promotion of humanitarian ideals and freedom of thought with rich and important works".

War stems primarily from impulses

The development of war stems primarily from impulses, not from reason or desire. There is both the impulse to invade and the impulse to counter aggression. Sometimes, either of the two may be consistent with reason, but in many cases it is contrary to reason. Every impulse is accompanied by a great harvest of faith.

Impulses can also be divided into impulses that create life and impulses that cause death. The impulses embodied in war include the impulses that cause death. Any impulse to create life, if strong enough, will lead people to stand up against war. Some of these impulses are only strong in highly civilized people, and some are part of ordinary human nature.

The impulse to artistic creation and scientific discovery is one of those more civilized impulses that create life. Many artists were not in the slightest affected by the frenzy of war, not because of emotional fragility, but because of their creative instincts, the pursuit of visions, which made them critical of the aggressive acts of national passion, and did not respond to the militant impulses in which the myths in disguise were put on. A few, dominated by the scientific impulse, took note of the myths of other warring groups that rivaled them, and were led to neutrality through understanding. But it is not only this impulse of improvement that can produce a civil force capable of changing the world.

Looking back at the great changes in political hegemony, from history to the present, you can also predict the future

The best lives are based on creative impulses

It is not uncommon to see that there are three forces in life that do not require special spiritual endowments, and may be very common under a better social system. These three forces are: love, the constructive instinct, and the joy of life.

The traditional view of success allows most people to live a life that annihilates their most important impulses, and the joy of life disappears into listless tiredness. Our economic system forces almost all people to achieve other people's goals rather than their own, which makes them feel powerless to act and can only get a little negative pleasure.

All of this undermines the vitality of society, the broad emotions of individuals and the ability to see the world generously. None of this is necessary and can be ended with wisdom and courage. Once over, people's impulsive lives will be very different, and human beings may move towards a new happiness, a new vitality.

END

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