Pacifist-Aggressives vs. the Second Amendment: An Analysis of Modern Philosophies of Compulsory Non-Violence

Charleston Law Review, Vol. 3, No. 1, 2008

68 Pages Posted: 9 Nov 2007 Last revised: 9 Dec 2008

See all articles by David B. Kopel

David B. Kopel

University of Wyoming College of Law - Firearms Research Center; Independence Institute; Cato Institute; Denver University - Sturm College of Law

Abstract

This Article examines the strengths and weaknesses of modern pacifist religious philosophy. The Article suggests that some intellectual arguments for pacifism are logically solid (once certain premises are granted), while others have serious flaws. The article discusses five influential philosophical advocates of non-violence Thomas Merton, Stanley Hauerwas, Leo Tolstoy, Tony Campolo, and John Howard Yoder. In addition, the Article examines three real-world cases where the practice of non-violence was put into action: the Danish rescue of the Jews during WW II, the American Civil Rights movement in the South in the 1960s, and the invasion of the Chatham Islands - the home of the pacifist Moriori tribes.

Keywords: Pacifism, Christianity, Nazi, Denmark, Hauerwas, Yoder, Tolstoy, Campolo

JEL Classification: Z00

Suggested Citation

Kopel, David B., Pacifist-Aggressives vs. the Second Amendment: An Analysis of Modern Philosophies of Compulsory Non-Violence. Charleston Law Review, Vol. 3, No. 1, 2008, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1028682

David B. Kopel (Contact Author)

University of Wyoming College of Law - Firearms Research Center ( email )

United States

HOME PAGE: http://firearmsresearchcenter.org/

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HOME PAGE: http://www.davekopel.org

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Denver University - Sturm College of Law ( email )

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HOME PAGE: http://www.davekopel.org

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