SOCI 210 Lecture Notes - Lecture 12: Immanuel Kant, Steven Pinker, Hunter-Gatherer
3 May 2018
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Wednesday April 11th
Conflict and Development
1) Gregory hooks reading
• Argument in nutshell: the more states are prepared for war, the more effective the state
apparatus (in deveopemnt)
2) List at least two reasons : population growth is/is not a problem
3) Find a civil war that took place in the last 10 years, make a case for one side (this war is a war
of grievance which was there was an ethnic population that was excluded and this is why it
started etc.) what is motivating the individuals and the war
Is violence part of human nature?
Thought experiment:
• Philosophers go to state of nature where there are no social forces affecting humans,
trying to explore human nature
o Closes thig: fid idigeous soieties that hae ot oderized
• Mbuti
o Hunter gatherer society in Zaire
o Have peaceful disposition
o Accept humans can be violent
▪ Accept as ONE facet of human nature
o Invest in overting harm: jokes, clown that provides comic relief
▪ Things in place to stop violence in tribe
• Yanomamo of Amazon
o 44% of males have killed another human being
o 30% of adult male deaths are due to violence
o Homicide, blood revenge, warfare
▪ Not irrational material benefits gained from violence, cosmology
• DPT: right institutions provide peace (not that war never takes place)
• Violence is a part of stateless societies
o Peaceful societies are an exception
• Modern tribes have nothing to do with people being state of nature of hunter-gatherer
societies
• Steven pinker: the better angels of our nature violence throughout history
o Tries to figure out how many people died from homicide we are getting more
peaceful
o Homicides per 100,000 people
▪ WWI: one of the deadliest wars, but adjusted to population
Liberal theory of violence
• Violence is the opposite of development
• If a country is developed, this is a way out of violence
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
o War situation: political legitimacy is undermined, economic and social grievances
are inflamed, state cannot crush rebellions, the effectiveness of governing
institutions (road blockades etc)
▪ Setting stage for another conflict the conflict trap
• Conflict trap: once we have a war, it erodes conditions in country which create
grievances, which create more war
o Development brings peace
o Underdevelopment causes conflict
Competing view
• Conflict is part of development
o Marx: history as class conflict/struggle
• Civilization is conquering of other people, exploiting, and benefitting the few
Definition: War is social sciences is intense conflict, causing a # of battle deaths a year (1000+)
• Symbolic, sexual violence etc.
• Conflict is different
• War is different
Immanuel Kant: Toward Perpetual Peace
• Influenced liberal theory
o Kant is writing in a period where everyone is trying to balance their powers
against each other
o Kant; we cannot just rely on these alliances offers stable model
• 6 preliminary articles reduce likelihood of war
• 3 definitive articles
o Republican constitution
▪ Style of government should be a civil republican one
• State has to address the people: voting, civil constitution
▪ Can provide the right checks and balances against going into war
o Treaty (union of states)
▪ EU: intergovernmental organizations
• It can stop governments from going into war, but EU was created
because of war
▪ Can be economic
o Universally open system
▪ Cosmopolitan right to universal hospitality free movement of people
and goods (open borders)
▪ Is trade an antidote to conflict?
▪ Counter: WWI England and Germany largest trading partners
▪ Do people provide checks and balances?
• supporters of war and peace
• supporting invasion of Turkish army to Syrian land
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
What is motivating the individuals and the war. Liberal theory of violence: violence is the opposite of development. Competing view: conflict is part of development, marx: history as class conflict/struggle, civilization is conquering of other people, exploiting, and benefitting the few. Definition: war is social sciences is intense conflict, causing a # of battle deaths a year (1000+: symbolic, sexual violence etc, conflict is different, war is different. It can stop governments from going into war, but eu was created because of war: can be economic, universally open system, cosmopolitan right to universal hospitality free movement of people and goods (open borders) Is trade an antidote to conflict: counter: wwi england and germany largest trading partners, do people provide checks and balances, supporters of war and peace, supporting invasion of turkish army to syrian land. Ignoring cases of incomplete democratization that did not go to war.
