War as paradox : Clausewitz and Hegel on fighting doctrines and ethics / Youri Cormier.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Cormier, Youri, author.

Series:

McGill-Queen's studies in the history of ideas ; 67.

McGill-Queen's Studies in the History of Ideas ; 67

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Clausewitz, Carl von, 1780-1831. Vom Kriege.

Clausewitz, Carl von.

Hegel, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich, 1770-1831--Criticism and interpretation.

Hegel, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich.

War--Moral and ethical aspects.

War.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (333 pages) : illustrations, tables.

Place of Publication:

Montreal, [Quebec Province] : McGill-Queen's University Press, 2016.

Summary:

"Two centuries after Carl von Clausewitz wrote On War, it lines the shelves of military colleges around the world and even showed up in an Al Qaeda hideout. Though it has shaped much of the common parlance on the subject, On War is perceived by many as a "metaphysical fog," widely known but hardly read. In War as Paradox, Youri Cormier lifts the fog on this iconic work by explaining its philosophical underpinnings."-- From publisher's website.

"Building up a genealogy of dialectical war theory and integrating Hegel as a co-founder with Clausewitz of the method, Cormier uncovers a common logic that shaped the fighting doctrines and ethics of modern war. He explains how Hegel and Clausewitz converged on method, but nonetheless arrived at opposite ethics and military doctrines. Ultimately, Cormier seeks out the limits to dialectical war theory and explores the greater paradoxes the method reveals: can so-called "rational" theories of war hold up under the pressures of irrational propositions, such as lone-wolf attacks, the circular logic of a "war to end all wars," or the apparent folly of mutually assured destruction?"-- From publisher's website.

Contents:

Front Matter

Contents

Acknowledgments

Note

Introduction

How to Approach Claims That Hegel and Clausewitz Generate Self-Fulfilling Prophecies and War Mongering

Perfection and Certainty in Metaphysics and War Theory

Clausewitz’s Scepticism: The First Dialectical Moment

The Decay and Resilience of Positive Doctrines from Jomini to the Twentieth Century

Real and Absolute War: The Second Dialectical Moment

Transitioning from Kantianism to Hegelianism

The Unresolved Ethical Impasse in Dialectical War Theory

Framing War as a Right: The “Actualization” of Freedom

Clausewitz and Hegel: Where the Convergence on Method Begins

Clausewitz and Hegel: The Convergence Peaks in On War’s Book I, Chapter 1, as the Divergence on Ethics Sharpens

Fighting Doctrines and Revolutionary Ethics

Epilogue

Bibliography

Index

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (ebrary, viewed December 15, 2016).

ISBN:

9780773548503

0773548505

9780773548497

0773548491

OCLC:

965737646