Violence, Morality and Civilization

--part1_117.22ef049d.2be6f3e8_boundary
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

What I am saying is that when political murder occurs, it nearly always
is infused with a sense of morality. There often is a tendency to write about
"violence" or "aggression" as if this was some sort of "biological" tendency,
or as a manifestation of some primitive form of "evil" breaking through the
veneer of civilization.

There is some sort of "breakdown" when collective violence occurs, but
what I am pointing out is that political murder occurs on the basis of the
moral imperatives of civilization.

One can observe this in the war that recently has been included. I
don't think one would wish to say that Americans "enjoyed" killing the Iraqi
people and Iraqi soldiers. Indeed (particularly with regard to the soldiers),
a strong effort has been made to HIDE THE KNOWLEDGE THAT DYING ACTUALLY
OCCURRED. If there is joy or pleasure within some Americans, it lies in a
sense of having vanquished or overcome evil.

Killing is undertaken in the name of fulfilling a RIGHTEOUS CAUSE.
Killing is "necessary" because the cause is righteous.

In contemporary times, the righteous cause of political murder
revolves around the "nation and its people." With regard to the extermination
of the German people, Himmler said, "We have carried out this most difficult
task for the love of our people." Collective acts of murder usually are
undertaken and carried out in the name of one's nation and its people.
Killing is the vehicle toward preserving or rescuing or saving the people.
That is the fantasy: that the "enemy" is destroying the beloved object. The
enemy is evil because the existence of the enemy threatens the existence of
that which one loves.

When we don't like the leader or cause we naturally tend to focus on
the violence and aggression, the evil and cruelty of the other side. I
suggest as a general methodological principle that if we wish to understand
these processes of political mass destruction we always must look toward the
IDEAS OR BELIEFS OUT OF WHICH VIOLENCE GROWS. We label the other as "evil"
and this enables a nation to mobilize its forces to defeat the evil other.

However, if we wish to understand these processes of political
destructiveness, we must begin to perceive that contained within all forms of
evil is a powerful sense of goodness, that evil DERIVES FROM A SENSE OF
GOODNESS. This does not mean that all goodness leads to evil, simply that a
certain kind of PASSIONATE, INTENSE ATTACHMENT TO A CERTAIN SENSE OF THE GOOD
is the source of mass murder.

Murder is undertaken in the name of gods and countries. Hitler and
Himmler loved and were devoted to the German people. They killed in order to
preserve the goodness of Germany that they believed was threatened by the
principle of "evil" embodied within the Jew. Mass-murder means the
destruction of evil. What is the nature of the "evil" that the Nazis located
within the Jewish people?

With regards,

Richard Koenigsberg, Ph. D.
Director, Library of Social Science

--part1_117.22ef049d.2be6f3e8_boundary
Content-Type: text/html; charset="US-ASCII"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

<HTML>    &nbsp=
;What I am saying is that when political murder occurs, it nearly always is=20=
infused with a sense of morality. There often is a tendency to write=20=
about "violence" or "aggression" as if this was some sort of "biological" te=
ndency, or as a manifestation of some primitive form of "evil" breaking thro=
ugh the veneer of civilization.
 
      There is some sort of "breakdown" when co=
llective violence occurs, but what I am pointing out is that political murde=
r occurs on the basis of the moral imperatives of civilization.
 
      One can observe this in the war that=20=
recently has been included. I don't think one would wish to say that America=
ns "enjoyed" killing the Iraqi people and Iraqi soldiers. Indeed (particular=
ly with regard to the soldiers), a strong effort has been made to HIDE THE K=
NOWLEDGE THAT DYING ACTUALLY OCCURRED. If there is joy or pleasure within so=
me Americans, it lies in a sense of having vanquished or overcome evil. &nbs=
p;
 
      Killing is undertaken in the name of fulf=
illing a RIGHTEOUS CAUSE. Killing is "necessary" because the cause is righte=
ous.
 
      In contemporary times, the righteous caus=
e of  political murder revolves around the "nation and its people." Wit=
h regard to the extermination of the German people, Himmler said, "We have c=
arried out this most difficult task for the love of our people." Collective=20=
acts of murder usually are undertaken and carried out in the name of one's n=
ation and its people. Killing is the vehicle toward preserving or rescuing o=
r saving the people. That is the fantasy: that the "enemy" is destroying the=
beloved object. The enemy is evil because the existence of the enemy threat=
ens the existence of that which one loves.=20
 
      When we don't like the leader or cause we=
naturally tend to focus on the violence and aggression, the evil and cruelt=
y of the other side. I suggest as a general methodological principle that if=
we wish to understand these processes of political mass destruction we alwa=
ys must look toward the IDEAS OR BELIEFS OUT OF WHICH VIOLENCE GROWS. We lab=
el the other as "evil" and this enables a nation to mobilize its forces to d=
efeat the evil other.=20
 
      However, if we wish to understand these p=
rocesses of political destructiveness, we must begin to perceive that contai=
ned within all forms of evil is a powerful sense of goodness, that evil DERI=
VES FROM A SENSE OF GOODNESS. This does not mean that all goodness leads to=20=
evil, simply that a certain kind of PASSIONATE, INTENSE ATTACHMENT TO A CERT=
AIN SENSE OF THE GOOD is the source of mass murder.
 
      Murder is undertaken in the name of gods=20=
and countries. Hitler and Himmler loved and were devoted to the German peopl=
e. They killed in order to preserve the goodness of Germany that they believ=
ed was threatened by the principle of "evil" embodied within the Jew. Mass-m=
urder means the destruction of evil. What is the nature of the "evil" that t=
he Nazis located within the Jewish people?
 
 With regards,
 
 Richard Koenigsberg, Ph. D.
 Director, Library of Social Science</HTML>

--part1_117.22ef049d.2be6f3e8_boundary--