288 Intranational and International Ethics [June-September 



humanity, as a whole, shows that its moral conduct is not above that 

 of vicious animals of various species. The discussion of the ques- 

 tion as to who began the war and who prevents its conclusion is far 

 f rom the mark ; it is purely academic and is borrowed f rom the point 

 of view of intranational morals. Justice and law had little to de 

 with the beginning of the war and will have very little to say with 

 its settlement. War is carried on by brüte force and is settled by 

 it with the aid of exhaustion and starvation. The many circum- 

 stances which lead to the numerous wars are mere incidents, but not 

 the real cause of them. There is only one cause for all the wars and 

 that is the possession by human beings of ferocious qualities pe- 

 culiar to wild beasts, often entirely unrestrained and sometimes even 

 directly cultivated to a higher degree. 



In teaching intranational morality it ought to he made clear that 

 physical strength, coiirage, dexterity and efficiency, tiseful and de- 

 sirahle as they are for the success in the life of the individiials and 

 the nation they compose, are not moral principles. On the contrary, 

 they may greatly magnify the evil residts when used for unethical 

 principles. Bravery and efficiency, which are most highly valued 

 qualities in war, are qualities which are most destructive to your 

 s\o-called enemy of to-day and perhaps your friend of yesterday and, 

 moreover, perhaps of your friend of a day after to-morrow. 



I now come to the chief point I wish to discuss. Short as the 

 discussion will be, it is nevertheless the chief object of my entire dis- 

 course. I have stated above that the striking feature of this war, 

 the great destructiveness of human life, owes its success to the em- 

 ployment of scientific results in carrying on the war. All sciences 

 which may contain some practical dement are contributing in some 

 way or another to the wholesale destruction of human life. And 

 not only the scientific results, but the scientists themselves are active 

 at the front in laboratories improvised in large automobiles to 

 search for new inventions and discoveries which may be of some 

 immediate practical use or to predict the nature of the weather to 

 be expected at different points, etc. And those who can not assist 

 in such a direct way try to contribute to the spirit of war by spread- 

 ing enthusiasm, by abusing the enemy, and by implanting hatrea 

 against it. 



