Why War?

In July 1932, Einstein asked Freud in an open letter how to make humanity more resistant to impulses of hatred and annihilation. In his response, Freud summarized his cultural analysis. He argued that peace could only be achieved by curbing the impulses of aggression and destruction, even if it was not a “permanent” peace, because the transformation of these impulses could easily be reversed. This dialogue between Freud and Einstein raises questions that are more important today than ever before. Can pacifism prevent war in times of crisis? Freud posited that the cultural process “works against war.” But hasn’t military preparedness always been considered a high cultural value? And why did both Einstein and Freud so quickly dismiss the concept of a “just” defensive war?

Jacques Le Rider was a research assistant at the Sorbonne, a lecturer at Paris XII University – Val-de-Marne, and a professor at Paris VIII University – Saint-Denis. From autumn 1999 to summer 2023, he was a professor at the École Pratique des Hautes Études (EPHE) in Paris. His book, “Vienna as a New Ghetto? Arthur Schnitzler and Theodor Herzl in Dialogue,” was published by Pecos Verlag in 2013.