________________
based upon the idea of common good it is quite clear that there can be no would be clearly non-violent, from real elimination of war in the internawhich war would be eliminated for tional sphere, however desirable it ever; that is the view of Ahimsa philo- may be on humanitarian and other sophers as also of the Marxian socia- grounds. lists.
Conditions of Parpetual Peace Slavery and war have bean regarded The great German philosopher as the two cancers of civilisation by all Emmanuel Kant had stated in an essay thinkers from quite early times. The on 'Perpetual Peace' written in the conquest of slavery in the early ninete. year 1795 that the pre-requisites of enth century appeared to be a good international peace are that every omen for the prospect of a campaign nation should have a republican constiagainst war. In this campaign against tution, that each people should possess war neither the unrestricted economic national self-determination, that there individualism of the Liberals nor the should be a general disarmament, and totalitarian control of economic activi- that there should be a federation of ties by the State of the Marxist school states agreeing to abolish war for ever. was able to achieve any real success, Kant's programme is as realistic today although both had been preached as as when he had formulated it, and it panaceas for over a hundred years. appears to be as far from the realm of At one stage the modern western spirit attainment. Kant had felt that the fedeof democracy gave mankind a new ration of states will have to take the form hope, but it was soon realised that even of a world republic. this hope cannot be effectually fulfilled
Ahimsa thinkers feel quite emphatiuntil an international state is established.
cally that beyond all questions of natioAs a result of the two World wars, the nal self-interest every people has a number of the great powers has been
moral obligation to humanity as a whole. reduced from a fluctuating plurality to Ahimsa programme is and has to be just two, namely the U.S.A and U.S.S.R. international in character and aim. It is but two is always an awkward number only when a majority of the world's in any international balance of powers. population come to see the underlying Nor are the Russian and the American principles of Ahimsa ideology that war people very well equipped for under- as an institution and also as a weapon standing each other. In a world tech
for the settlement of international nologically unified, the competition for
disputes can be really and permanently power between the U.S. A. and the abolished. U.S. S. R. is going to be decided in the While aiming at the permanent abolong run by the suffrages or those who lition of war, however, Ahimsa does are today reckoned as the undevelo- not preach unthinking pacifism, It ped or backward nations; but so long realises that world peace involves the as the competition for power continues, private renunciation of war on the part
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
