In the name of civilization : war, conquest, and colonialism

At its inception, the idea of civilization was imbued with a sense of progress, peace, and optimism. The historical record, however, belies much of this sense of optimism. Somewhat paradoxically, civilization has come to be closely associated with conflict and conquest. In the two-hundred-and-sixty years since the term was coined, many things have been done in the name of civilization; sadly, among them are such grave matters as war, conquest, and colonialism

A case for the history of ideas

As an approach to the study of history, the history of ideas offers a wider and deeper self-knowledge and understanding that can help circumvent what Ball, Farr and Hanson describe as the “little wonder” that there are concerted and ongoing “attempts to control the past [and through it the present] by rewriting history or, failing that, by obliterating memory altogether.” As they further warn, people “adrift in the present and cut off” from the past and the understanding that might be gleaned from it, become more manipulable and pliable subjects”. In a particularly troubled time, such as we find ourselves in 2020, a period over which hangs the shadows of climate change and a global pandemic, both exacerbated by political populism, the risks of remaining lost or blinded, are too great to contemplate. In an age when people speak of “alternative facts” and “fake news”, while at the same time undermining the rigours of the scientific method, we are obliged to reflect and “retrace our steps”. The history of ideas can serve as an invaluable tool in helping us to remove a blindfold or shine a light into dark and forgotten corners as we rediscover the past so that we may understand the present

Civilization and savagery

A comprehensive study of important strategic, cultural, ethical and philosophical aspects of modern warfare. It offers an analysis of key issues in modern warfare, not only in terms of the conduct of war and the wider complexities and ramifications of modern conflict, but also concepts of war, the crucial shifts in the structure of warfare

Colonialism, anti-colonialism and the idea of progress

The idea of progress has two related components. The first is that the human species universally progresses, albeit at different rates and to different degrees, from an original primitive or child-like condition, referred to as savagery, through to barbarism, and culminates at the apex of progress in the status of civilization. The second component of the idea of progress holds that human experience, both individual and collective, is cumulative and future-directed, with the specific objective being the ongoing improvement of the individual, the society in which the individual lives, and the world in which the society must survive. For some thinkers it seems logical that what follows from the general idea of progress is the notion that progress is directed in a particular direction, or that history is moving forward along a particular path toward a specific end. History, in this conception, is not merely the cataloguing of events, but a universal history of all humankind, a cumulative and collective history of civilization, that is, History. The notion that different peoples or cultural groups are at different stages of development along the path of universal progress has led some to deem it necessary to try to ameliorate the condition of those thought to be less civilized. This enterprise has variously been known as the “white man’s burden,” the “burden of civilization,” or the “sacred trust of civilization.” The general aim of these often violent and overly-zealous “civilizing missions” was to ameliorate the state of the “uncivilized” through tutelage, training, and conversion to Christianity. With European expansion, wherever “civilized” and “uncivilized” peoples existed side by side, there soon developed an unequal treaty system of capitulations, also known extraterritorial rights. In much of the uncivilized world this system of capitulations incrementally escalated to the point that it became full-blown colonialism

Moral imperialism

The term imperialism has been coupled to or prefixed by a wide range of labels and descriptors, many of them controversial or contested. Examples that readily come to mind include neo-imperialism, economic imperialism, cultural imperialism, liberal imperialism, humanitarian imperialism, democratic imperialism, Western imperialism, American imperialism, and the subject of this essay, moral imperialism. The level of controversy and contestation tends to depend on factors such as one's social, political, economic or cultural perspective. For many, to be accused of being an imperialist is a pejorative term, but over the years it has been regarded by some as a badge of honor and a measure of national esteem. Some flatly reject any form of imperialism in the belief that imperialism by its very nature assigns different moral worth to different peoples. In addition to exploring the nature of moral imperialism and its contested meanings and merits, the key point that I want to make in this essay is that all forms of imperialism have a moral dimension. Before I get to that topic, however, first it is helpful to discuss the nature and meaning of imperialism more generally

"The affair of the Indies" : international law before and after Vitoria

This chapter begins by discussing the role of the academy and intellectuals more generally in offering opinions on how rulers might govern in a manner that is reasonable and just, Desiderius Erasmus and Francisco de Vitoria being notable examples. It then discusses Vitoria’s commentary on the extent of Spanish rights and obligations in their interactions with the indigenous peoples of the Americas. It concludes by noting the influence of Vitoria on the development of international law as a result of his offering of an opinion for the benefit of both Charles V and the Native Americans

Civilizational security

The idea of civilization can be conceived or interpreted in a number of different ways. This in turn has led to civilizational security being conceptualized in a range of different ways from a range of different perspectives. Generally speaking, the explicit concept of civilizational security is relatively new, really only surfacing following the rise of interest in the clash of civilizations thesis following the end of the Cold War. Throughout history, it is unlikely that many people have actually thought in terms of civilizational identity, civilizational loyalty, or civilizational belonging. As such, civilizational security is not something that one often personally contemplates. Instead, humans have been more likely or more inclined to think in terms of personal security, including physical, emotional, economic, or some other aspect of our individual security needs. When we come to think in terms of the security of a collective, we are more likely to think first about family, or the various other communities or smaller social collectives to which we belong. Included among these are collectives such as our workplace and colleagues, ethnic and religious affiliations, and other such social groups. The largest, most obvious, and most widely discussed socio-political collective in terms of security, is the collective security of the citizens of the nation to which we belong – that is, traditional state security. Rarely do humans think first of themselves as members of this or that civilization; our daily circumstances simply do not promote such thinking, we tend to move in far smaller circles and operate on a much lower level of affiliation. Furthermore, it would be a rare circumstance in which people have thought of their own personal security in relation to or as being immediately dependent on the security of the civilization (or civilizations) to which they might belong. And it is probably even rarer that we think of our own security and that of friends and loved ones in terms of the security of big Civilization. That said, given the range of new and emerging threats and dangers that are facing all of the inhabitants of Earth and the ecosystems of which we are a part, thinking and strategizing in terms of Civilizational security has become a necessity

History as philosophy : the search for meaning

One of the reasons for our interest in the past, or history, is our concern for the future, including the future of our planet and its many and varied inhabitants. It has been suggested that “historians are particularly suited” to exploring and teaching about the future. This suggestion recalls earlier ideas of philosophical approaches to the study of history that sought to find patterns or purpose in history. These approaches are associated with ideas of progress and teleological accounts of history more generally. The underlying philosophical approach to history is a broader search for meaning

Direct Hit: The Bombing of Darwin Post Office

On the floor of the Main Hall in the Northern Territory Parliament is a small plaque that reads: ‘ON 19 FEBRUARY 1942 AN ENEMY BOMB FELL HERE AND KILLED TEN PEOPLE’. The plaque commemorates a major event in Australian history when 188 Japanese fighters and bombers launched a deadly air raid on Darwin. Targeting the flotilla of ships in the harbour and key infrastructure within the town, at least 243 people were killed, with as many as 500 injured. Among the targets was the Darwin Post Office, which suffered a direct hit. Taking cover in a slit trench in the backyard of the Postmaster’s residence were Hurtle Bald, the Postmaster, his wife Alice, their daughter Iris, four Telephonists, Emily Young, Jennie Stasinowsky and the sisters Eileen and Jean Mullen, a Postal Clerk named Arthur Wellington, a Telegraph Supervisor by the name of Archie Halls and Walter Rowling, a Telegraph Mechanic. All were killed instantly. Those killed at the Post Office had volunteered to remain in Darwin despite the growing threat posed by Japan as the Second World War edged ever closer to Australian shores. It is fitting that we know more about those who selflessly gave their lives for their country when Japanese bombs struck the Darwin Post Office

The 'idea' of universal history : what the owl heard, the angel saw, and the idiot said

This essay considers the similarities and differences between world history, global history, and universal history. It demonstrates how a philosophical, and specifically a teleological, understanding of history is central to the idea of universal history. To a certain extent, this philosophical version of universal history transcends both world history and global history in that some versions of each of those are in fact universal histories of this very kind