Warfare as the Affirmation of Civilization

Richard A. Koenigsberg

Abstract: The cliché is that war represents the “breakdown” of civilization. Precisely the opposite. Warfare is affirmation of civilization. During the First World War, each nation asserted the superiority of its society; affirmed its faith by sending young men to die.

How proud we are of our world wars. Human beings created these wars to demonstrate spirituality: contempt for mundane existence. By engaging in monumental episodes of destruction and self-destruction, nations gave witness to the depth of their devotion to sacred objects.
The “Final Solution”—conclusion of the First World War—lay in the memorials erected to honor dead soldiers. These crosses stood as testimonials—proof that young men had devoted themselves to the cause of their nation--gifting their lives.

What was the cause for which each young man died? The cause was the young man's own nation. The crosses were erected to validate the greatness of the nation for which each soldier had given his life.

The cliché is that war represents the “breakdown” of civilization. Precisely the opposite is the case. Warfare represents the way in which a nation or society affirms its own civilization. Warfare is a declaration of devotion.

During the First World War, each nation asserted the reality and superiority of its own sacred object. Each nation struggled to assert the depth of its devotion.

However, on a deeper level: the nature of the entity to which a lives were sacrificed—didn’t matter. What was essential was the performance of sacrificial death itself. This was a world war. and no nation wanted to be left out. It was a family affair (Sly and the Family Stone). Each nation wished to participate in the ritual.

How proud human beings are of their world wars, which lie at the heart of the history of the 20th century. These wars did not happen by chance. It is not an accident that two world wars lie at the heart of the history of the 20th century.

Human beings created these wars to demonstrate the depth of their spirituality: show their contempt for mundane existence. By engaging in these monumental episodes of destruction and self-destruction, human beings demonstrated their devotion to those “sacred objects” that lay at the heart of their societies.