Some Desperate Glory

by Emily Tesh

Humanity is a warlike species.

It is not the case, however, that humans are a war-loving species. Some individuals are, no doubt. But some of the earliest extant works of human culture are complex reflections on the costs and consequences of conflict: the glory thus achieved and the suffering thus engendered. We know what war does, to societies and to the self. We have known for a long time. The desire for peace runs deep in human history—nearly as deep as the desire for war. What would peace look like? Many have wrestled with the question. Perhaps it can be enforced? Empires have prided themselves on being peace-bringers and peacekeepers. But this is a paradox. A peace brought about with the threat of violence is only a war in waiting. True peace would surely require the elimination of warfare altogether. Utopia—the perfect society—demands what we might call an unenforced peace. But is it possible? Unenforced peace would require an end to all conflict. The question then arises: What causes conflict? Resources, says history, and ideas. So humans seeking this utopian society and its unenforced peace must first settle the question of resources: who has them, who wants them, who needs them. Many approaches have been tried. Unsurprisingly, several of them led to conflicts of the other kind, conflicts of ideas. Should everyone have a fair share—and in that case, who should define fairness? Should everyone be free to pursue the resources they want in whatever way seems best to them? Is there a technology capa...