Assumptions and Myths about violence
Common assumptions about violence
An act is violent only when someone is physically harmed
It was intended to harm
It’s something done to someone else
It’s only done to people or animals
Some kinds of violence are acceptable
People define violence differently; including its severity. See the Violence Spectrum activity. We bring in our assumptions & biases into that assessment. Becoming aware of the violence of a particular situation helps us think of and work toward nonviolent alternatives.
Below are some of the main myths about nonviolence, particularly in a setting of war.
There is so much focus on the distinction between nonviolence and violence, between nonviolent people and violent people. But in reality it’s not that easy to take sides like that. One can never be sure that one is completely on the side of nonviolence or that the other person is completely on the side of violence. Nonviolence is a direction, not a separating line. It has no boundaries.
– Thich Nhat Hanh
Myth #1 → Violence is justifiable under certain conditions
Myth
“Just” War Doctrine: the theory that violence is justifiable under certain conditions
Just War Doctrine was perpetuated from St Augustine in the 5th century; a very influential theologian. He found Jesus’ teaching in the Gospels (Matt. 5:38-41; Luke 6:29) to support nonresistance to evil when perpetrated against oneself, but justifiable in defense of one’s neighbor, even by force of arms if necessary. This paved the way for Just War doctrine, the military defense of the Roman Empire. Just war doctrine has been used to justify wars fought merely for national interest, the use of torture and capital punishment to this day.
The aim of the doctrine is to ensure that war is morally justifiable under certain conditions, all of which must be met for a war to be just. This includes the right to go to war, the right conduct in war, and the morality of post-war settlement and reconstruction. It was included in Article 2309 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
The principles of just war include:
It is waged as a last resort; all non-violent options must be exhausted
It is waged by a legitimate authority
It is waged to redress a wrong suffered and fought with "right" intentions
It is fought with a reasonable chance of success
The ultimate goal must be to re-establish peace and it must be preferable to the peace that would have prevailed if the war had not been fought
The violence used in the war must be proportional to the injury suffered (Principle of Proportionality).
The weapons used in war must discriminate between combatants and non-combatants (Principle of Discrimination). Civilians are never permissible targets of war, and every effort must be taken to avoid killing civilians. The deaths of civilians are justified only if they are unavoidable victims of a deliberate attack on a military target.
Principle of discrimination | principle of proportionality |
|---|---|
civilians must be protected from the harmful actions of combatants | the damage to be inflicted and the costs of war must be much less than the harm being done by the aggressor |
Reality
Myth #2 →
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Myth #3 →
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