Abstract
The author discovered that the ethics of Jesus and Gandhi were almost identical—both rejected violence. Gandhi’s Hindu and Jain background inclined him towards ahimsa but Tolstoy’s influence added a political dimension. Though Gandhi’s attitude to war was inconsistent in South Africa and during the First World War, he later moved to a pacifist position more consistent with his satyagraha, a highly ethical variety of nonviolent action (NVA) and a moral equivalent of war. Gandhi advocated nonviolent resistance by countries facing aggression and it has been used successfully in many conflict situations. The author suggests that although other societal changes would be needed, it is reasonable to look to abolishing war in the future, either through satyagraha or other NVA.
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Paxton, G. (2022). Gandhi’s Contribution to a War Free World: My Inspiration. In: Kool, V.K., Agrawal, R. (eds) Gandhi’s Wisdom. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-87491-9_15
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-87491-9_15
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