A COMPARATIVE GRAMMAR OF JUST WAR: CONTRASTING AUGUSTINIAN CHRISTIAN AND VEDIC HINDU WORLDVIEWS by Keith J. Gomes A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science Carleton University Ottawa, Ontario © 2014 Keith J. Gomes ABSTRACT This dissertation examines some of the metaphysical assumptions that inform how people think about warfare. In the Christian West, rules on warfare developed into the just war doctrine, and St. Augustine is often acknowledged as the person who introduced these ideas to Western philosophy. However, all of Augustine’s thought is rooted in his understanding of reality through the lens of his Christian faith – a fifth century Roman Catholic worldview (Weltanschauung). As a result, current norms in international law on warfare (such as R2P) also reflect these Christian metaphysical assumptions. This dissertation examines not only how Augustinian metaphysical assumptions impact our ideas of warfare in international law but also how these ideas would change if one did not subscribe to this Augustinian worldview. Since Hinduism is often associated with non- violence, a Hindu worldview is examined to determine what kind of just war theory, if any, would arise. First, the link between Christian philosophy and modern international law is outlined, tracing the development of thought from Augustine to modern times by examining Bible verses and writings by political theorists and others on just war theory and Christian theology. Then, Christian metaphysical assumptions are examined in order to determine how these assumptions influence Christian ideas of warfare. Psychological impacts of Christian assumptions are also looked at through the lens of Girardian analysis. In the second half, Hindu political writings, scriptures and religious texts as well as books about Hinduism are examined to discover how Hindus have thought about war. Hindu metaphysical assumptions are examined and inferences are made to show the connection between these assumptions and Hindu ideas of non-violence. The following aspects are examined in order to see how they generate ideas about war: ontology, creation myths and conceptions about God, the afterlife and end of the world, axiology, praxeology and epistemology. The research shows that Christian metaphysical assumptions (which many Christians now consider outdated) continue to influence modern ideas about war idea while Hindu metaphysical assumptions tend to influence the kind of non-aggression associated with Gandhi. 1 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank my adviser, Peter Emberley, for piquing my interest in Political Theory and the connection between religion and political science. Also, many thanks to Noel Salmond for his extensive comments, insightful feedback and meticulous editing. I am also grateful to Farhang Rajaee and Rajesh Shukla, who at short notice graciously agreed to be part of my committee and provided valuable feedback and suggestions to further focus my research. Finally, my sincere gratitude to Marc Tyrrell for his interest in this dissertation and for being invaluable in the publishing of a paper which would later form the basis of the first chapter. The numerous hours of conversation, feedback and constant efforts to get me to think more clearly about aspects such as methodology and application of this research were instrumental in completing this dissertation. Also a big thank-you goes out to everyone who kept me sane throughout this programme. Amongst others, the large number people who have become part of my closest circle of friends since starting this programme who are connected to the Christ Church Cathedral Choir of Men and Boys. Thanks to Matthew Larkin, I was able to enjoy many wonderful musical opportunities that were a welcome distraction from school. Choir trips to the UK made it possible for me to find some interesting books (like Beier’s A Violent God- Image: An Introduction to the Work of Eugen Drewermann) while searching through the shelves at the Cambridge University bookstore, and enabled me to be able to proofread much of the dissertation in Edinburgh and London. A special mention to the clergy at Christ Church Cathedral, Ottawa, namely, Shane Parker (who read the first version of Chapter 1), Dawna Wall, Catherine Ascah and Robert Graham, who provided me with many opportunities for discussions on religion and my thesis. Finally, special thanks to Catharine Marceau for her comments and for being so willing to help with final proofreading, and to Larry Kempffer for lending me some books on the Christian just war. And lastly, to my parents, for their love and support, and especially their financial sacrifices that allowed me to continue with my education to this extent. This dissertation is dedicated to all my friends and acquaintances, past, present, and future, whose lives have been irrevocably changed by the horror of war. Even at its best, war can result in loss of country or national identity, reluctance to return to one’s homeland, cynicism in the unity of people, and the belief in an uncertain future. At its worst, war causes unimaginable bodily harm, stress and mental trauma, the loss of or separation from friends and loved ones, the loss of income and hard-earned savings, and the loss of a life once cherished. 2 CONTENTS Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 6 Religion and War ................................................................................................................ 6 Problems of Warfare/Problems of Christianity ................................................................... 8 The Relevance of Hinduism.............................................................................................. 10 Outline of the mode of inquiry.......................................................................................... 12 Methodology ..................................................................................................................... 13 The Connection between Religion and International Relations ........................................ 15 Embracing International Political Theology (IPT) ........................................................... 16 Chapter 1 - A Genealogy of the Just War: A Survey of Christian Political Thought on the Justification of Warfare..................................................................................................... 19 Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 19 Starting Point: Christianity’s Jewish Heritage .................................................................. 21 Monotheism and the Violence-of-God ............................................................................. 23 War in the Old Testament ................................................................................................. 26 Explanations for the Old Testament Images of War ......................................................... 28 The New Testament and War: From Pacifism to Just War ............................................... 30 Christian Politics Pre-Constantine .................................................................................... 32 The New Testament View on Warfare ............................................................................. 35 The Soldiers Who Came to John the Baptist .................................................................... 36 Jesus and Military Imagery ............................................................................................... 38 The Unbelting of Peter ...................................................................................................... 39 The Sermon on the Mount and Lex Talionis .................................................................... 40 The Epistles of the Early Church Leaders ........................................................................ 45 Pacifism or Just War? The Choice of Early Church Leaders............................................ 48 St. Ambrose of Milan – the Precursor to Augustine ......................................................... 51 Christian Attitudes towards War during the time of Augustine ........................................ 54 Augustine’s Just War Criteria ........................................................................................... 59 Violence towards Religious Dissenters ............................................................................ 66 Christianity and the Law: Christian Influences on the Law ............................................. 67 Thomas Aquinas: Creating a Manual of Christian Theology ........................................... 71 The Crusades..................................................................................................................... 75 The Early Modern Period.................................................................................................. 77 The Protestant Reformation and Just war Theory ............................................................. 77 Just War and Natural Law: The Salamanca School .......................................................... 83 Hugo Grotius: Bridging Religious Ideas and State Law ................................................... 87 Just War: The Contemporary Viewpoint .........................................................................