Masters Thesis

The Moral Equivalent of Courage: Extrapolations Upon the Works of William James

Purpose of the Study: First, to examine the historical context in which the philosopher William James developed "The Moral Equivalent of War" theory. Secondly, to find historical examples of "Moral Equivalence." Thirdly, to project possible applications of "Moral Equivalence" into the near future. Finally, to discuss "courage" and "duty." Therefore, in agreement with William Jam es, this paper seeks an understanding of ways to redirect the military and the martial values into peaceful and productive pursuits. Procedure: A close study of William James' articles, letters, essays and other materials pertinent to this study. A similar reading of secondary materials such as biographies was used in regards to William James. A variety of sources including the electronic media provided the information for those sections concerning matters other than William James. On two occasions I conducted brief personal interviews. Findings: That William James was influenced by three major events in the years in which he developed "The Moral Equivalent of War" theory. Those events were: the Civil War, the United States occupation of the Philippines, and the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. That the "Moral Equivalence" theory is representative of a practical and activist form of pacifism that can be tracked in numerous forms throughout history. This may seem to be a secondary theme in history when compared to the long human traditions of war and militarism. Nevertheless, this "secondary" theme is most persistent and remams a field of enormous interest and value. Conclusions: "Moral Equivalence" is valid and applicable to the problems of the late twentieth century and beyond. That William Jam es' idea of redirecting the positive attributes of the military character opens up an immense set of possibilities that should be further studied. Finally, because of the problematic nature of our current historical epoch, the urgent necessity for some useful ideas both utopian and pragmatic is with us. "Moral Equivalence" and Jamesian theory in general provide a well thought out theoretical framework for future advances of humankind .

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