Just War Theory: Past, Present, and Future - Rudolf J. Siebert

As a species, Homo Sapiens have gone to war with other Homo Sapiens even before they were Homo Sapiens. War, and other forms of systematic violence, appear to us as being an integral part of the human condition. No matter what historical epoch we look at, we find war. And in some ages, periods of peace seem to be the exception. War is brutal, barbaric, and bloody. It not only destroys infrastructure, architecture, towns, and villages, but also destroys our minds, our souls, and in many cases our futures. Yet, war captivates us; we watch movies about war; we play war games; we study the masters of war whom we admire; we are entertained by the circus of slaughter that war brings us. Existentially, war delivers meaning to us; we look fondly on the wars we’ve won; we try to bury the wars we lost. Our feelings of alienation, loneliness, and isolation are temporarily overcome when we go war, as we feel an uncontrollable urge to dissolve our individuality into the collective fervor for war, and support those who have brought it to our doorstep. On the other hand, we understand that sometimes war can be a necessary evil, especially when the madness of men, induced by genocidal and imperial ideologies, compel them to invade their neighbors, assassinate leaders, oppress their own people, and massacre the unwanted. War, it seems, can be a form of defense of humanity, as it is a paradoxical loss of humans to save humans. At its core, war embodies a dialectic of barbarity - a mass slaughter of innocent and the guilty in the name of saving the innocent from the guilty.
In the Jewish and Christian tradition, the messianic vision compels us the contemplate the image of swords being beat into plowshares (Isaiah 2:3-4) - an image of humanity growing up and sacrificing its war machines on the alter of peace, community, inter-subjectivity, and unconditional love. In Christianity, Jesus of Nazareth says, “those who live by the sword shall die by the sword,” but we must admit, many are ready to “die by the sword,” if the sword is a means to protect, while others are prepared to “die by the sword” if the sword brings glory, new lands, and restored empire. In the Islamic tradition, war is a regrettable means to end conflicts that have no other means to be resolved. Yet, the Prophet Muhammad despised war; he was not eager for war, but when he was engaged in war, he upheld the dignity of humanity as much as it could be upheld amidst grotesque slaughter. The justness of war - both in its causes and its prosecution - has long been a subject of debate within Abrahamic religions. Nevertheless, the doctrines of what a just war is has frequently be violated by devotees of those religions, just as secular powers have violated the secular laws, including the Geneva Conventions, in prosecuting their wars. It seems that the religious and the secular have one thing in common: they both belong to humanity, and humanity has always found ways to make war.
The topic of discussion today is “Just War Theory,” what it is, how it has been used and abused, and its future. We are joined today by Dr. Rudolf J. Siebert, who is a combat veteran, having fought both in the Luftwaffe and the Wehrmacht during World War II. Dr. Siebert’s war experience has shaped his perspective on humanity, religion, politics, and the potential for peace in a future society. He will offer us insights in both the theory and lived experience of war.
Dr. Siebert is Professor Emeritus of Religion and Society at Western Michigan University, Department of Comparative Religion. He taught at WMU for over 50 years. He has written hundreds of articles, dozens of books, and has educated tens of thousands of individuals in the United States, Canada, Europe, Israel, and Japan. He is a member of the Institute for Critical Social Theory and is currently working on a book regarding the Fascist Temptation and the Democratic Response. If you are interested in further studying the works of Dr. Siebert, please see the links in the description below.
For more information:
Dr. Rudolf J. Siebert:
www.dialectical-religion.org
Dr. Dustin J. Byrd:
www.dustinjbyrd.org
Ekpyrosis Press:
www.ekpyrosispress.com
Institute for Critical Social Theory:
www.criticalsocialtheory.com

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I was a student of Dr. Siebert at W.M.U. in 1968/9. I am so glad to have found these lectures. As an agent of social change I so appreciate the knowledge and wisdom of this man! Dr. Siebert is a true hero and has affected my world view since I met him! Thank you for this channel!