Death Is Not the Goal of Armies, but Life
Editorial verification status: this atom has been extracted from an explanatory audiovisual source, and has now been linked to the closest books within the Shahrur project at the book level. For precise academic citation, consult the original book and the original episode together.
Formulation of the claim
Shahrur states that the function of armies is to defend life, not to manufacture death.
Explanation
He distinguishes between an army trained to protect people, borders, and survival, and a formation whose members are sent to destruction as an end in itself. He sees combat as defensive in its essence, and the army as an institution for the survival of social and political life. Therefore, any transformation of the army into an instrument of suicide contradicts its original function.
Its place in the episode’s argument
This atom offers a moral and political summary of his entire discussion of legitimate fighting.
Limits of the claim
It does not deny that war may kill, but it rejects making killing an independent objective.
Brief witness
“Fighting is in defense of life, not in pursuit of death”
Related links
- Shahrur - the civil state
- Book: State and Society
- Shahrur - freedom