# Moral Equivalent of War **Domain:** Political philosophy **Doc Type:** Developed Work Node **Maturity:** Developed **Collection:** [[collections/Gamification|Gamification Collection]] ## Definition **“The Moral Equivalent of War”** is William James's 1910 proposal that societies preserve martial virtues—discipline, endurance, solidarity, sacrifice—while redirecting them from military destruction into demanding civic service. James sought an institutionally serious substitute, not mere amusement. ## Significance The essay is a foundational statement of the substitution problem: if war performs social and psychological functions, peace must supply alternatives capable of carrying those functions. It also reveals the danger of shallow gamification. A substitute that lacks consequence, dignity, or shared recognition may not be accepted as equivalent. ## Simple Reminders, Quotations, and Thoughts > “How can science best leverage unreason to overcome the heroic passion for war?” > **— Scott Atran**, *2018 Edge Annual Question, question* [[reminders/Civilization/Can Science Address the Passion for War by Scott Atran|Can Science Address the Passion for War by Scott Atran]] > “Fields such as evolutionary psychology, neuroscience, and cognitive science are now providing new insights into the brain, emotions, reasoning and the evolution of human nature. Findings from these fields as well as from economics, game theory, anthropology, and political science can help us to understand the causes of war and find ways to reduce its occurrence. Thus far, however, the scientific community has not given war-related questions the serious, sustained attention that they deserve.” > **— John Horgan**, *2003, Edge Annual Question, “WHAT ARE THE PRESSING SCIENTIFIC ISSUES FOR THE NATION AND THE WORLD, AND WHAT IS YOUR ADVICE ON HOW I CAN BEGIN TO DEAL WITH THEM? - GWB”* [[reminders/Civilization/Science Must Study the Causes of War by John Horgan|Science Must Study the Causes of War by John Horgan]] ## Relationships - **Edge source and reminder relationship:** [[collections/Edge|Edge]] records the original Edge Annual Question responses; the source-checked quotations below route to their individual reminders and back to this topic. ## Sources - William James, [The Moral Equivalent of War](https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/10843) ## Routes [[wiki/Konrad Lorenz|Konrad Lorenz]] · [[wiki/Orwell's Sporting Spirit|Orwell's Sporting Spirit]] · [[wiki/Non-Substitutability|Non-Substitutability]]