“Watching the horrific images coming from Ukraine we need to ask ourselves: is this really the way to go in the 21st century? Do we still want to cherish the concept of war as a part of our thinking?”

The largest war in Europe in 75 years

Russian invasion of Ukraine marks the start of the largest war in Europe since 1945 and quite possibly it brings to an end the “Pax Europaea”, i.e., the 75-year-long period of relative peace on the continent.

War – and all it entails – has a peculiar place in our contemporary imagination. We’ve always known, of course, that warfare hasn’t been wiped out from the face of the earth. It has sadly flourished in the past decades in places like Iraq or Syria. War was never truly eradicated, the “never again” slogan was never in full effect.

Most of us haven’t known war first-hand

On the other hand however, in recent generations we – the citizens of the safe and affluent Western world – mostly haven’t known war first-hand. Its hostilities have been moving further out from our experience. War was “externalized” from the West. It stopped happening “here,” it turned into a distant phenomenon that happens “there”. Out there. Somewhere. Overseas. Not to us.

Needless to say, Ukraine serves as a reminder that this “removal of war” has always been just one big, fat illusion.

But still, this illusion has already impacted our collective mind. Conflict in Ukraine is so shocking to us because we have not only largely forgotten military conflicts as such but also we have lost touch with military lifestyle in general. Most of us haven’t served. Conscription has been abolished in most Western countries. The experience of warfare, carrying weapons (both figuratively and literally) which has been totally ubiquitous and “normal” merely a century ago, has become rare. This is mirrored in language. Not only the experience itself became rarer, but also the rhetorical power of military references became doubtful.

What does it mean in the Stoic context?

What does it mean in the Stoic context? The works of the ancient Stoics are teeming with military examples. We ought to tackle adversity just as we confront enemy in battle, we must harden ourselves just as the soldiers train before a campaign, all that. This is I think the most common pattern in the writings of the Stoics and one of their favourite ways to make the point. Surely, this was relatable lingo back in the day. Does it work today, however? And do we want it to work this way?

As mentioned, war occupies a dual position in our awareness. On the one hand, we deplore and condemn its horrors, its absurdity, and the destruction it spells. On the other hand, we are still conditioned to think of war (and military stuff in general) as horrific but nevertheless “the most serious” dimension of reality. Ukraine reminds us of that too. Warfare as the continuation of political intercourse through other means, dulce et decorum est pro patria mori, the ideal of “taking up arms” – all this is still deeply ingrained in us. We tend to perceive war as some kind of a pervert but ultimate reality check of human life.

This is reflected in the Stoic arguments. War is “serious,” war is “for real,” it’s the “ultimate provider of meaning.” Thus, we may draw relevance and meaning from military associations, transfer it somewhere else and put it to use. It is self-evident what courage (grit, resilience, etc.) mean on the battlefield (because battlefield is the “ultimate test”), so we must learn there and apply what we learnt into other, less extreme circumstances. Thus, it is still war that provides virtues with meaning.

Our rhetoric still relies on warfare

In this sense our rhetoric still relies on warfare much more then we may like to admit. Yet, watching the horrific images coming from Ukraine we need to ask ourselves: is this really the way to go in the 21st century? Do we still want to cherish the concept of war as a part of our thinking? Is this “appeal to warfare” really necessary, even as a conceptual device?

The homework we must do

I admit I was quite prone to it a decade ago in my own work and writings on Stoicism. Fortunately, over the years I have bit by bit given up the reliance on such military metaphors. I strongly encourage everyone to entertain that path too. If “never again” is to mean anything, this is the homework we must do. We must learn to express our truths without recourse to warfare. In politics and rhetoric alike.

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Dr. Piotr Stankiewicz, Ph.D., is a writer and philosopher, promoter of reformed Stoicism. He authored Manual of Reformed Stoicism, and Does Happiness Write Blank Pages?

 

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