Bumper Sticker Philosophy

"Violence, naked force, has settled more issues in history than has any other factor."

- Mr. Dubois

What Heinlein is doing here is presenting us with a comment that we find morally reprehensible and impossible to believe, yet one that we are unable to discount. Has raw violence settled more issues in history than any other factor? Probably. However, raw violence has also had quite a few more chances to settle these disputes due to man kinds affinity for the like. Additionally, while violence is often considered a single factor for change, the many forms of non-violence are often divided up into respective categories such a protest, dissent, diplomacy, etc. In light of this idea, is violence still the great settler of disputes? The answer is less clear.

Then one must distinguish between war, and simple violence. There is a common bumper sticker in towns more conservative than this one, and it reads: "War never solved anything, except for communism, fascism, and slavery." Assessing the validity of this statement, the footing is, even initially, a little shaky. Communism, though not a superpower governing structure, still exists in functioning governments around the world. Fascism, though seen to fall after WWII, can still display visible remnants in many Third World and developing nations where super-nationalism and discipline mask deeper issues. So, when seen from this angle it seems that war can destroy institutions and governments, but cannot create. Stable democracies after communist and fascist regimes as well as civil rights were not created by wars, but by people with better intentions willing to put the time, effort and money into the development of something positive from the wreckage of war. Communism, fascism, and slavery may have been beaten by war, but nothing was "settled" until the peacemakers arrived.

But Heinlein did not say war, he said violence, which is distinctly different, and significantly less accurate. History shows that violence outside of war, such as race riots, carpet bombings, police attacking protestors, and the like all have a disturbing effect on the community at large as opposed to a settling one.

So although Mr. Dubois would refer to my ideas as wishful thinking and dangerous, I must respectfully disagree. Though violence may solve some things as a contributing factor, to say that it fully solves anything or to say that it is has settled more issues than any other factor is both irresponsible and delusional, Heinlein's intentions aside.