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Philosophy of Peace and Nonviolent Action
WHAT IS PEACE?
Negative Peace
 Absence of War/Armed Conflict
 E.g. Pax Romana
 Peace of truce/stalemate: modus vivendi
 Cold War: Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) as deterrent
 Kant denies this is genuine peace, where parties make “secret
reservation of the material for future war”
 Can there be genuine Peace without justice?
 “I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the
Negro's great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not
the White Citizen's Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the
white moderate, who is more devoted to "order" than to justice;
who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a
positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly
says: "I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree
with your methods of direct action” MLK Letter from a
Birmingham Jail
Positive Peace
 Peace with Justice
 Rawls claims that positive peace is attained when
all parties are “satisfied with the status quo for the
right reasons”
 Democracy and the establishment of Universal
Rights as a condition of peace
 Is (limited) war an acceptable means by which to
establish stability and work towards peace?
 E.g. Libya, Burma (during floods), Kosovo…
Positive Peace cont.
 Peace as a state of rest, wholeness, or
completion
 Peace as a “family resemblance”
 The normative dimension of peace
 “The peace of a just and tranquil order is
something like a condition of wholeness in which
there is solidarity, mutual respect, and satisfaction
of needs. In this vision of peace there is genuine
community. “ – Stanford Encyclopedia of
Philosophy
Positive Peace cont.
 Personal Peace: Personal Transformation, Religion, and Ethics

Peace as a spiritual development
 Christianity/Mystical: the peace of God that surpasses all understanding
(as in Philippians 4.7). The ideal of peace is associated with salvation/union
with the deity.
 Buddhism:
 “the idea propounded by Thich Nhat Hanh of “being peace” that is connected to
Buddhist practice” (ibid.)
 “peace is a state of tranquility founded on the deep sense of security that arises
from mutual understanding, tolerance of others’ point of view, and respect for
their rights” (Dalai Lama)

Personal Perfection
 Virtue Ethics: “Peacefulness is understood as a virtue that is connected to
other virtues such as modesty, tolerance, and mercy… not mere quietism
and the passivity of meditation or contemplation. Jay McDaniel has
recently argued in favor of a notion of “creative peace” in which there is
tension and activity as individuals and cultures must learn to listen to and
interact with one another.” (ibid))