The focus of Milligan’s Big Ideas course this semester is on “War.” The Stampede is presenting a series of articles and essays, which include interviews of students and the faculty who are leading the class. This week, we asked English and Humanities Professor Dr. Michael Blouin to touch on some of the history, rhetoric, and religious aspects of war, and here is his response.
The History and Rhetoric of War
by Michael Blouin
In my section of Big Idea: War, we began by discussing how ancient societies strategized war, focusing on Thucydides and Sun Tzu. These discussions allowed us to contextualize the concept of war as it has been imagined by diverse cultures. We then moved into the world of the early church to reckon with Christian attitudes toward war: what did early Christians think about war? How did “Just War Theory” emerge? Do many Christians today continue to conceptualize war in these terms? Why or why not?
War is an omnipresent Big Idea. To understand it requires a good deal of critical thinking as well as the ability to ask the right questions. By examining war through various prisms – theological, philosophical, intercultural – we can start to make sense of previous wars and, one might hope, prevent unnecessary conflicts in the future.