War Is Immoral: It Reinforces a Social Pathology That Keeps Us from Fulfilling Our Positive Human Potential

Implications for American Society

If the new moral principles deriving from an enforceable universal agreement to resolve international conflicts peacefully--namely, respect, empathy, compromise, and, if helpful, material support for nation building--were broadly accepted in the U.S. as rational and right, I believe they would also radiate to every aspect of American society.

The new normal in our behavior toward others could help free America from the moral degradation to which the alternative course of dominance through force is already leading us. In our national politics, for instance, Congress might well begin to rebuff rapacious lobbyists from the fossil-fuel industry who still suppress serious efforts to counter the hazards of global warming. At local levels, we could expect to see more constructive relations between both police and community, and corporations and the environment. A cultural upgrade in respect and empathy for others could also inspire a now missing sense of connection between the One Percent and the rest of the population--which in fact creates and maintains the necessary foundations of the One Percent's wealth. If such a change were to take place, it would pave the way for higher taxes on the wealthy that could help fund federal support programs needed to provide a decent quality of life for all Americans.

Finally, our mass consumer society, now the unmistakable reflection of a fantasy-based celebrity culture, is in desperate need of a makeover. At present, our social behavior is commonly characterized by egoism and estrangement from others, psychological insecurity, group conformity, a "winning is everything" attitude, a diminished interest in self-development, and increasingly facile resorts to violence. All of these ills, however, could be assuaged by a new morality that encourages us to understand and respect the needs of other people, to fairly reconcile their needs with our own, and, as required, to support them in meeting their needs.

If we can succeed in abolishing war, we will demonstrate in the most convincing way possible that human beings can in fact freely choose to be motivated by the Better Angels that--along with the regressive shadows--also inform their nature.

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