Wars are conducted because of lack of highest rationality among human beings.

–Albert Schweitzer

Human beings have been suffering from bloody conflicts, wars and other hurts at the state and societal levels since their emergence, not from any other specie but at the hands of their own fellow beings. First we kill our human fellows with brutal weapons, and then we devote a particular day for their remembrance. Yes, we can only show our so-called remembrance and sympathy to them who are sleeping under soil. Neither their suffering can be not felt nor have human beings learnt any lessons to wipe out wars.

The days of 8 and 9 May have been reserved for remembrance of those who were killed brutally in the Second World War. The war started on 1939 and lasted till 1945. More than 80 million lives were wiped out, 3% of the total population of the whole world. Two military coalitions or alliances were in the war; Axis powers and Allied powers. Germany, Japan and Italy were the most powerful members of Axis military alliance, and it is also known as Rome-Berlin-Tokyo Axis. With other countries, UK, Poland, Canada, Australia, China, New Zealand, USA and Soviet Union were the most significant participants of the Allied coalition.

UNO backed up the Allied alliance morally, diplomatically, politically and economically. Many sessions were chaired under the flag of UNO condemning Axis alliance and projecting Allied alliance. Thus, other countries rushed to join the Allies. Political and military tussle of both blocs posed great negative impacts on internal domestic affairs. It is also known as one of the most destructive and heinous wars in antiquity.

Because of the dream to rule Asia and pacific, the empire of Japan was already at war in 1937 with the republic of China. Thus, both joined opposite blocs following their national interests, particularly with the aim to dominate over the region of Asia and Pacific.

It would take too long to go through the background and changing political affiliations of different powers to both blocs because many countries also changed their priorities with the passage of time. It will be more interesting and appropriate to endeavor to resolve the issue of war among human beings following the ethical notions of various ethicist and philosophers.

According to a philosopher and ethicist, Albert Schweitzer, millions of human beings have been killed, uncountable plants and animals have been destroyed on the name of wars and bloody conflicts, and environment has been polluted because of the usage of chemical weapons but no one, in reality, could win any war. The most disgusting element is that every nation has a number of justifications over killing other human fellows. Furthermore, Albert Schweitzer tries to address the philosophical question about wars by human beings against their human fellows and what can help wipe out the element of war to avoid suffering and pain. He says that the human beings, who pose a great threat to humanity and other living creatures and do not posses the highest rationality and reverence for life. If all human beings start to respect other lives, there would be no war, no conflict and no sufferings for any human being.

Another great philosopher and ethicist of rationalist tradition, Immanuel Kant projected his deontological argument in which human dignity is the central point of ethics. According to Kant, no one has right to hurt others or to debase any person on any standard. In this world, God creates all human beings with equal self-respect. If any person is to be hanged because of any crime, he ought to be treated and hanged following humanistic norms and values of respect.

The nuclear attacks of USA on Japan depict that American leadership was devoid of highest rationality, and developed countries do not avoid behaving as animals against their human fellows in order to preserve and sustain their national and political interests. USA and European states have crossed all limitations of brutality by obstructing reverence for life, human dignity and civility of their own philosophers’ notions on which the societies progressed after the renaissance.

According to Albert Schweitzer, we do not have privilege to stop any person from dying but we can reduce sufferings and pains of a person. So, the world, including international organisations and institutions, ought to work according to virtue ethics of Aristotle, which backs up for betterment of maximum number of people. We should respect other human beings, and international powers should try to reduce sufferings and pains of other human fellows despite posing threat to human survival on the earth for temporal and limited interests sacrificing others’ existence. We all should try to eliminate the threat of nuclear war in the womb of time. It is not a matter of any nation’s survival; it is a concern of the planet of earth’ survival.

“The tragedy of life is what dies inside a man while he lives.”

–Albert Schweitzer