Violence, Nonviolence and Peace : A Critical Study

By Dr. Shantinath Chattopadhyay

Human essence in creative form is to be examined as a human value which is manifested in different degrees leading to its highest development as truth, beauty and goodness in harmony. For this Wollaston unites good with truth, Herbert identifies good with beauty and Keats also asserts that both truth and beauty are inseparable beauty. So Reality in life, is to be observed as the co­ordination of these values through the intellectual, emotional and volitional states of being as the expressions of different facts of experiences like good as the spirit of nonviolence and evil as the expression of violence in different stages with the process of realising the highest or supreme good as the highest state of realising the ideal of nonviolence in harmony.

Regarding this nature of relative and absolute or supreme states of goodness, some are of the view that good as related to human circumstances, is subjectively real and for this Spinoza observes, '... things are good because man desired them.' But a feeling of desire or interest may be an index of goodness but is not goodness itself. And so G.E. Moore and N. Hartman support its objectivity. Then Alexander, a modern realist, finally explains its both subjective ad objective nature and treats good as subjectively conditioned objective value.

So, good in this sense, is not merely subjective but also it is to be treated as objective. Objective nature in this context, is to be treated as its developments in human personality situation through values. All these observations from Plato to Alexander represent the outlook that values are to be observed in varied senses of objective reality. But good as a human value is to be understood as the empirical emergence in human personality in transcendent­experiential possibilities, expanding, integrality. In the background of this humanist process, it may be said that values or ideals as the eternal, embodiment of the unity of truth, beauty and goodness, inspire, the infinite power of man to acquire the higher order for the fulfilment of his highest aspirations. Thus, the problem of good, an intrinsic value as infinite ideal of life, intimately related to the problems of human personality for the human processes of thoughts, feeling and willing, this value of life is realised and determined. Man, as a self-conscious being, has the sense of both limitation and perfection. So he can realise the absolute state of perfection through a self-transcending process towards the realisation of final stage of good as the state of cultivating nonviolence in harmony. For this, Mahatma Gandhi, a contemporary Indian thinker and humanist, always, recognises nonviolence as an end of human existence.

Man realises the perfection, joy or truth as infinite power not through an empirical process, but through a transcendent­experiential process. Ross, Ewing and others also recognise man's intuitive realisation of supreme value which is intimately related to the infinite quality. This, as Tagore, a great contemporary Indian Thinker, evaluated, is an "Innermost Beauty" or "Goodness" or "Mangala", expressed through man's creative nonviolent activities. Thus, the realisation of goodness through man's creative nonviolent activities is the proper way for the realisation of his infinite self. Eudscmonists, like Hegel, also regard self-realisation as the highest good that is possible through self-sacrifice. In this connection we may refer to Hegel's dictum "Die to live". The more we can rise above our poor, individual and private self and can identify ourselves with wider and social life, the more we realise higher, social and Universal Self. This may be called as the process of developing harmony in the individual self through the nonviolent creative activity by means of self-sacrifice which may lead to the expression of goodness or "harmony" as human truth. So truth, beauty and goodness are to be explained in the context of integral transcendental perspective. But this idea of integrality is not state identity, it, on the other hand is a dynamic process of manifestation through diversities. Thus the integral process of truth, beauty and goodness in the life of man can be explained through the establishment of relation of one with the other. The goodness through the selfless activities as prevalent among men both of the West and the East in general, is the idea of Good as "maitri" of Buddha as harmonious relation with all. This realisation of harmony in man is possible if he overcomes his poor ego and feels the existence of universality in him and thus he realises good as the realisation of Universal Self. This can be possible through the humanistic process of love as the substratum of good. It may be noted in this connection that the ideal of love exists in the very nature of man that inspires him to love others and to sacrifice for others and so the realisation of goodness through love helps a man to realise a higher or greater self in him. In the observation of Rabindra Nath Tagore, a contemporary Indian thinker, it may be said thus. "To live the life of goodness is to live the life of all." I In this way goodness in thought, a.ctivity and life, rouses the feeling of comprehensive consciousness of "sarvanubhuti" as the feeling of oneness. Finally, goodness in love establishes unity with all as the expression of the universality in him as Universal Man that is the realisation of his infinite personality. Thus the realisation of greater self of infinite personality from transcendent­experiential perspective, crossing all the limitations of confronted facts and contradictions or differences, of life, is the realisation of complete humanity where a perfect harmony among all men is established. It is the development of the highest state of human freedom in goodness, thus is the humanistic process of nonviolence in cultivating unity and universality in human existence.

But the limited outlook on life giving rise to the contradictions and differences, produces badness or imperfection as evil in life, if one is not aware of the transcendental­experiential principle of existence. The transcendent integrality which sustains one with all, is goodness, and the difference, which creates many limitations and separates one from the other due to loss of transcendent outlook, is bad or evil. So evil in life and society, due to the lack of transcendent vision, creates hindrances on the way towards the foundation of integral vision of infiniteness on universality infinit life.

In the interpretation of the problem of good as value or ideal of nonviolence and evil as bad or imperfection as violence, it may be said that this problem exists in the very nature of man when man fails to place himself in transcendent-experimental process. So long as man inhabits only with the confronted situation, losing sight of transcendental visions-he fails to comprehend the implication of inner spirit that creates limited procedure of life, making man alone, separated and selfish. Selfishness and narrowness of heart are the main causes of evils in life and society. The activities guided by selfishness create disunity or disharmony among men which are responsible for producing different types of evils. Too much personal demands, self-interests, individual necessities etc. increase ordinary desires of man that drive him to proceed towards the fulfilment of gross happiness and poor enjoyments. Aristotle also points out that to seek more happiness is to create evil. Thus more satisfaction of interest and fulfilment of narrow selfishness has made man ego-centric which is the root cause of the evil in individuals' life. In this connection Huxley's opinion may also be referred to. He says, "... the fall ... is due exclusively to ego-centric use of the free will ...".2

Interpreting the nature of evil caused by man's selfishness or ego-centric use of his will, it may be both moral and social in nature. Moral evils are created by man voluntarily for his own individual or personal interest. These evils can touch the interest of a man or a few men on personal level of violence.

But when evils touch the general interest of man on the social level, the same may be called social level of violence. These are due to narrow interests, creating different limitations or differences among men. These are different racial and communal differences due to religious or political fanaticism, orthodoxy, or other selfish views for enjoyment of particular privilege in society, creating different classes of people with clash among them.

In modern time, the 'unholy alliance' between science and machine increases the power of different nations of the world and develops a violent nationalism, creating evil on international level. This nationalism is nothing but a social evil as it whets the greed of a nation or state for the fulfilment of its own interest. This is creating fear and tension among the nations, with an anticipation of atomic war, disturbing world peace. In this context it may be pointed out that if man is able to realise his higher nature, he will learn to respect the sovereignty of other nation and through this procedure the higher ideal of internationalism among men of different nations will be developed. So, we find that the narrowness of heart, selfish attitude and misuse of the freedom of will are the proper causes of violence on moral and social levels.

These, in the Indian context it may be noted, are due to passions as produced by ignorance which can be removed by right knowledge. It. in Jainism in conformity with Sankhya, Buddhism and Vedanta, is the real cause of freedom as the joint effect of right faith or samyak darshana, knowledge or Jnana and conduct or charitra as the three jewels or tri-ratna in cultivating universal good as creative universal spirit of nonviolence.

In this connection we may refer to the comprehensive ideal of goodness in the context of transcendent-experiential process which accept, the relativity of evil as violence or a means to the good as nonviolence. Evil or violence is neither the denial of goodness or nonviolence nor an illusion, nor absolutely necessary. Evil or violence appears as an absolute evil due to imperfect realisation of truth. Evil or violence and fighting for freedom from evil or violence are real as the latter procedure of life inspires man to realise higher freedom as harmony. Hegel rightly points out that life is for an achievement of higher unity in diversity. So the feeling of evil is not absolute, for feeling of truth is highest good in harmony. This higher feeling of truth is absolute bliss or ananda as the achievement of good or ideal of nonviolence in the extension of universality in men as freedom in unity.

So it may be pointed out that evil as violence in life appears to be evil due to the incomplete outlook of human life or human nature. But the infinite personality of man transforms all the evils or acts of violence of his life into goodness as value of nonviolence. Through different selfless activities, man tries to realise the possible objectives towards a process of general good for mankind as a whole. It may be said in this connection that we can not question the reality of this world and worldly sufferings. Through these worldly sufferings one may gradually learn to be free from all pains and sufferings in which he may be helplessly placed by force over which he has no control. Through his transcendent­experiential attitude man can realise the highest truth in life which is man's effort to realise a perfect condition which is man's potentiality to be universal, by overcoming all restrictive attitudes. So evils or violent activities come out of finiteness of human life which is responsible for the creation of contradictions in existence. But to conquer all these contradictions as evils of life, is to develop infinite personality through a proper cultivation of goodness or nonviolence. Thus through the realisation of man's own natures he can understand the true significance of his infinite potentiality that influences him to overcome all the conflicts of life and to proceed towards a perfect condition which is realisable.

So fundamental object of man is to conquer or to overcome the evil or violence, but not to avoid it or not to reject its existence. The conflict of self and not self, or selfishness or unselfishness as the proper cause of evil or violence, can be solved through the expansion of heart or mind through selfless activities. Selflessness or disinterested attitude towards life finally lead to ultimate freedom from all sufferings through the cultivation of good or nonviolence as moral, perfect and infinite nature of man as truth in him.

Moral and social evils, leading to the growth of differences and contradictions in individual and social existence can be conquered and freedom of men from all evils can also be achieved, at man can remove all his limitations or finiteness and can realise infinite or Universal Man in him through the establishment of goodness or nonviolence as perfect harmony in life.

For this, human freedom through a, proper cultivation of good or nonviolence as an end and a means in life and existence, is a self­creating or self-manifesting idea. On the one hand it manifests the highest state of human life and on the other hand, it creates in a human the process of love and selfless service in different stages of developing individual and social existence of man harmoniously. So good in human existence is universal in nature as it is revealed in individual existence with a proper expression of human nature as the universal union of man with all human beings in perfect harmony.

It may be noted in this connection that Karl Marx also explains the creative potentiality of man as his consciousness that makes him cautious about freedom from all types of exploitations and engages him in creative activities and thus makes him a free man.3 So, consciousness, according to Marx, though coming out of matter, is still an infinite power in man that helps him to fight against all types of social and material exploitations, responsible for his alienations in society. In the analysis of Marx, it may be observed that the consciousness of the exploited or alienated people or proletariat class as the embodiment of Universal Humanity as Universal Good, urges them to be free from exploitations through the change of society with the introduction of communism. This according to Marx, is to change the society for the social freedom of man as the expression of his essence or true individually, free from all contradictions. For this, Marx, in "The Holy Family", explains freedom as "the positive power to assert his true individuality".

So the 'true individuality' of man, in the observation of Marx and other thinkers, is to manifest the state of freedom. This I think, may thus be evaluated as the cultivation of total goodness or creative spirit of nonviolence which is universal in nature as it lies in the natural existence of man, that is the self-transcendence of material contradictions and self-manifestation of potential universality in the harmonious development of human personality through selfless service for others. This type of harmonious development of man and society, extends the Universal Good or Universal Value of nonviolence on international level, that is the harmonisation of human values, present in different persons and communities, leading to the cultivation of international outlook, developing World Community. Here lies the significance of expanding the humanistic spirit of nonviolence with the reconciliation of contradictions or disharmonious states of violence.

Thus, in the background of this analysis, it may finally be pointed out that foundation of our culture and civilisation is Universal Good as the expansion of creative essence of nonviolence that explores the eternal inspiration and aspiration of our life in multi-dimensional expressions beyond any limitation or dogmatism. So this, in creative socio-cultural form, expands the humanistic philosophy of integration. Harmonizing human values, present in scientific process of the West and humanistic process of the East, in a proper" development of the fundamental basis of World Culture and World Peace in harmony. So we may conclude with the words of Radhakrishnan, "... peace is the harmonising of man in their differences ..."4.

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Author : Dr. Shantinath Chattopadhyay is Director, International Society for Intercultural Studies and Research, Calcutta and is an eminent peace thinker.

Article Source : Anuvibha Reporter ( Special Issue : Dec. 2000 )
Ahimsa, Peacemaking, Conflict Prevention and Management Proceedings and Presentations
Fourth International Conference on Peace and Nonviolent Action ( IV ICPNA )
New Delhi : Nov. 10-14, 1999

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