The Reasons for War

Plato states that the "nature and origin of war" has to do with a nation’s desire for wealth and luxury at the expense of its neighbors. Although this has some truth, I don’t think that it’s the only factor which causes war to break out. In this paper, I will explain other reasons for war, and also give examples of each. I believe it is important to understand what war entails, and also what it means to a given population.

First of all, war can be defined as armed conflict between countries or factions within a country. During the time of Plato, war usually was the result of problems between city-states within Greece. Socrates and Plato both were citizens of the city-state of Athens. In this paper, I will refer to city-states as the two opposing sides.

When we speak of war, it is important to understand that it is usually a last resource. The bloodshed which occurs sometimes causes a whole population of people to be wiped out. With this in mind, I believe a major reason for war is when a group cannot sustain living, because they lack the bare necessities of life. An example of this is in South America, where an indigenous tribe called the Yanomamos live. They are broken up into different bands and rely on the Earth to

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Perhaps this could be associated with luxury since they would have more space, and because they would be comfortable with food in their bodies. Usually, the smaller group is of a different race or religion and many times, the ruling class impose strict laws against the group.

Of course anything can be rebutted. Plato does not mention this type of problem in The Republic although it is a major reason for war. The Irish have been rebelling against the English for hundreds of years to no avail. Many times, war breaks out between these two bands until the demands are met. To say that war is caused by only one thing is ridiculous.

And perhaps Hitler’s goal was only to gain money and live a comfortable life. If and when they run out of fertile land, they must find more, even if that means that they must encroach on another band.

Plato says that the need for luxury and wealth are main reasons for war. If the smaller group rebels, this will cause war within the city-state. Many times, people are ignorant to the fact that it is their own government who is corrupt (for instance, the Nazis), not the people they are fighting. The presidency of the United States, for example, does not bring much wealth.

Although Plato did bring up a good argument in The Republic, he did not back it up with enough facts or thought. It is also important to note that war is mainly associated with men.

Approximate Word count = 963
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

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