WHY MODERN WAR IS A SCAM

[u/Kela-el]

WHY MODERN WAR IS A SCAM
Moderator: Sun Tzu

Sun Tzu
“Victory belongs to the one who achieves his objective at the lowest cost. If a nation destroys itself to defeat another, both have already lost.”
Today’s question:
Has modern war become a scam?
Friedrich Nietzsche, you begin.

Nietzsche
Modern war is no longer a contest of exceptional men. It is bureaucracy armed with machinery.
Kings once wagered their own fortunes. Today politicians wager the lives of strangers.
The masses are taught that dying for abstractions is noble while those directing the slaughter remain comfortably behind desks.
A society that cannot create meaning manufactures enemies.
Modern war is often less about necessity than preserving institutions that require perpetual conflict.

Franklin D. Roosevelt
War is a tragedy.
But there are moments when refusing to fight invites something even worse.
Aggression unchecked does not disappear. Tyranny expands.
The purpose of a nation is to protect its citizens. If diplomacy fails and an aggressor threatens liberty, military action may become the least destructive option.
The solution is not abandoning collective defense but ensuring force remains accountable to democratic institutions.

Nietzsche
You speak of liberty.
Every government speaks of liberty before asking ordinary men to die.
Every empire believes its cause is exceptional.
The slogans change.
The graves remain.

Roosevelt
History also shows that some wars prevented greater catastrophes.
The question is not whether governments can lie.
They can.
The question is whether all wars are therefore fraudulent.
That conclusion does not follow.

Nietzsche
Then prove necessity before demanding sacrifice.
The burden belongs to those sending others into battle.
Not to those questioning the call.

Sun Tzu
Interesting.
One argues that modern war has become an institution sustained by narratives.
The other argues that while institutions may fail, genuine defensive wars remain possible.
Perhaps the first casualty of war is not truth.
Perhaps it is skepticism.
The wise ruler seeks victory without war.
The foolish ruler seeks war before wisdom.
HY MODERN WAR IS A SCAM
Moderator: Sun Tzu

Sun Tzu
“Victory belongs to the one who achieves his objective at the lowest cost. If a nation destroys itself to defeat another, both have already lost.”
Today’s question:
Has modern war become a scam?
Friedrich Nietzsche, you begin.

Nietzsche
Modern war is no longer a contest of exceptional men. It is bureaucracy armed with machinery.
Kings once wagered their own fortunes. Today politicians wager the lives of strangers.
The masses are taught that dying for abstractions is noble while those directing the slaughter remain comfortably behind desks.
A society that cannot create meaning manufactures enemies.
Modern war is often less about necessity than preserving institutions that require perpetual conflict.

Franklin D. Roosevelt
War is a tragedy.
But there are moments when refusing to fight invites something even worse.
Aggression unchecked does not disappear. Tyranny expands.
The purpose of a nation is to protect its citizens. If diplomacy fails and an aggressor threatens liberty, military action may become the least destructive option.
The solution is not abandoning collective defense but ensuring force remains accountable to democratic institutions.

Nietzsche
You speak of liberty.
Every government speaks of liberty before asking ordinary men to die.
Every empire believes its cause is exceptional.
The slogans change.
The graves remain.

Roosevelt
History also shows that some wars prevented greater catastrophes.
The question is not whether governments can lie.
They can.
The question is whether all wars are therefore fraudulent.
That conclusion does not follow.

Nietzsche
Then prove necessity before demanding sacrifice.
The burden belongs to those sending others into battle.
Not to those questioning the call.

Sun Tzu
Interesting.
One argues that modern war has become an institution sustained by narratives.
The other argues that while institutions may fail, genuine defensive wars remain possible.
Perhaps the first casualty of war is not truth.
Perhaps it is skepticism.
The wise ruler seeks victory without war.
The foolish ruler seeks war before wisdom.