Enroll in PHL 216 Violence and Nonviolence (TR 9:30) for next semester to explore this question and other related questions. In theory, nearly everyone is in favor of nonviolence and will say that violence is to be used “only when absolutely necessary.” But how do we know when violence is necessary? Why might one think that nonviolence is better, not just morally, but from a practical perspective? What about the wars currently going on – would we still be able to defend ourselves and others if we were not willing to use violence? Is torture ever morally permissible? How are practices of violence and nonviolence relevant to situations outside of war such as bringing about social change or dealing with conflicts at work or at home or in our thinking?
In this course, we will be looking at these questions and others. We will consider answers from a wide variety of thinkers and will also look carefully at how nonviolence has been used by Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., Leo Tolstoy, and others.
This course is eligible for the Women and Gender Studies minor. For more information, contact Dr. Linda Paul at linda.paul@wilkes.edu.