Writing for the Association for International Conciliation (oh, so to be desired!) psychologist/philosopher William James (1842-1910) wrote an essay entitled “The Moral Equivalent of War,” in which he proposed the social sickness of war might eventually be rendered extinct by a method analogous to the medical treatment of homeopathy. Homeopathy seeks to cure by treating the patient with just a bit of the disease to be eradicated. I don”t know how this works, but I expect the cure is to result from the antigen/antibody action incited by the noxious germs. Or maybe by Aristotle”s cathartic theory.
Pace (Pron. PAYsee; meaning “in spite of”) the efficacy of homeopathy and also the cathartic hair-of-the-dog-that-bit-”im theory, by which a dose of the disease is to purge it from the body, I believe a militarist atmosphere would only keep the war enthusiast enthused; and because of my frequent observation of the effects of habit formation and the perseverance of custom,
I figure homeopathy would have a different effect on society than it would have on the human body.
This because I know of no phenomenon in society analogous to the antigen versus action found in the physical body, whereas there is unquestionable evidence that the longer a condition affects the physical body, the more the brain accommodates the body to that condition. Besides, there are several different opinions germane to this problem on the psychic side, all different.
No, the only way the taste for blood of the war enthusiasts will be stanched (if it ever is) will be by authoritative forceful shutoff by the overwhelming military power of a nation or an association of nations, plus propaganda. Kennedy was on the right track to it when he broke up the Russia/Cuba get-together.
The military industrialists could see that. That”s why Kennedy was killed.
Dean Sparks
Lucerne
