The Martial Ideology Thinkers of "Total War" Face the Giants of Respect

1) An ideology of "Total War", which includes the mechanisms of deception championed by Machiavelli, can only be effective as a functional Philosophy in the physical force contests of War- in the order of War. It cannot be effective in the larger order of life, where a victor has prevailed and law has been imposed. Such a larger order includes both the orders of functional pragmatism of BOTH War and Peace.

Those thinkers that call themselves "martial" thinkers thus limit the scope of what their thinking addresses, and must face the thinking of the giants of freedom through the order provided by respect and law. The latter group includes Abraham Lincoln.

This is acknowledged in the public words and declarations of Abraham Lincoln in the Emancipation proclamation, the Gettsyburg address, and in the quotes below. In this way Lincoln joins the Thomas Jefferson of the Declaration of Independence in a "decent respect to the opinions of mankind(others)". In this way it is also undeniable that Lincoln joins the camp of Immanuel Kant as one of the giant champions in history of the operative implementation of the philosophy of freedom through the order provided by respect and law.

Lincoln's words:

1) "Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power".
2) "It is difficult to make a man feel miserable, when he feels worthy of himself and claims kindred to the great God who made him".
3) "Force is all conquering, but its victories are short lived".
4) "No man is good enough to govern another man without that man's consent".
5) "When the conduct of men is designed to be influenced, persuasion, kind unassuming persuasion, should ever be adopted".
6) "Whenever I hear anyone arguing for slavery, I feel a strong impulse to see it tried on him personally."
7) "That government of the people, by the people, and for the people, shall not perish from the earth".

What say today's champions of the Darwin & Hobbes group to these Giants of respect?

Who among the Darwin & Hobbes group chooses Ivan the Terrible and Niccolo Machiavelli as their mentors? Who chooses these two as THE thinkers and leaders in History whose understanding of the human condition and whose understanding of the role of leadership these thinkers believe "got it most right"- more accurately than Kant and Jefferson, and more accurately than Abraham Lincoln?

2) Any supporters of the Hobbes/Darwin group of Philosophers directly concede that the Philosophy of Respect through the order of law takes priority when they answer that what is important to them is family.

The Cooper-Union dictum of "might makes right" is false as a primary larger governing philosophy. It is subordinate to the Philosophy of respect, even to the Hobbes/Darwin Philosophers and supporters, unless what is said and acted out among the family members of the Hobbes/Darwin Philosophers and supporters is the pure force of "might makes right".

Any martial philosophy merely SERVES the larger purposes of living in peace and respect of others- EACH OTHER- and of needing each other.

This truth has always been so.

As for me, the Philosophy of this larger purpose, of the respect of others through the order of law is what will be embraced. The Cooper-Union dictum of "might makes right" and it's offshoots- of submission to pure force for any reason- as directing principles for a primary Philosophy, are principles contrary to the Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution, and the Gettysburg Address. These principles are also contrary to the other words and documents of the Giants of respect referred to on this blog. The principles of the Cooper-Union dictum and it's offshoots are principles to which there will never be the acquiescence of consent.