[OpenMind5]

I'm Sure there are similar threads, but i would like to focus on these questions.

What is the Cost of war?

When is war worth that cost?


Comments? Questions? Ideas? Thoughts? Belifes? Anything, very interested in knowing your responses.

Op5

[orbsycli]

the cost now is about a billion dollars a week.
worth it, is an opinion. but i don't think it's ever worth it.

[Thelonious]

Originally Posted by OpenMind5

What is the Cost of war?

Lives, time and money.

Originally Posted by OpenMind5

When is war worth that cost?

War is worth the cost when the cost of NOT going to war is higher.

[sanctus]

Originally Posted by Thelonious

War is worth the cost when the cost of NOT going to war is higher.

I would say much higher (eg.US coming too stop WWII), not just higher as the cost is very hard to evaluate beforehand...

[CHADS]

Im sure ethical calculus will fare in the equation somwhere ... how many people are willing to risk there lives to rescue people who are targeted by people who consciously inflict pain upon them .... 1 man im sure would rescue a child ...... 1 man im sure would rescue several children ........ 1 man im sure would want to rescue a nation of children

Would an army rescue one child ...... or several ......... certainly a nations...
The cost of war in this instance is irrelevent of finance .. it is will
finances fuel war but no where near that of will ..
Would an army risk all its lives to rescue a nation of children .... i hope so
would an army risk all its lives to rescue several children .... and the sum becomes apparent .. the cost of war is that of will and finance is just a fuel to carry out will..
Would i resue a person opressed by evil .. knowing full well that i will die ... yes .
That would be the cost of war and ethical calculus plays apart .. personal cost for a greater good adds up ..... financial cost holds no prescidence on ethical cost...

[OpenMind5]

Chads, You bring up a great point! The cost of war is defenetly not tied to the obvious cash situation. The cost of war does go with lives, but i believe it has more to do with the nation and their veiws.

Keep the post coming please!

Op5

[Fishteacher73]

The cost in lives may not even be a good "rule of thumb". An obvious example of where body count is irrelevant (if not endorsed) is the extemist Islamic Jihad. To die is an honor and secures a place in paradise. Much like Vikings had Valhalla. So I think the cost of war is very subjective and body count does not always fit.

[Thelonious]

Originally Posted by Fishteacher73

An obvious example of where body count is irrelevant (if not endorsed) is the extemist Islamic Jihad. To die is an honor and secures a place in paradise. Much like Vikings had Valhalla.

The Islamofacists are not proud of the body count, but are still glad that those who do die will go to heaven. They still see it as a cost of war, obviously, because less people means less blowing things up.

[OpenMind5]

The cost of war is how far a country is willing to scarafice. To sacrafice a life, may mean to kill a father, huband, bussiness man, a son, uncle, ect... The lives effected by one lose is enough. The cost of war is very high, but when that cost is considered enough to maybe change anothers life its worth it. The domino effect i guess u could call it.

Op5

[minna]

There is also the psycological effect of war.
Body count and $ in the future will become statistics and future generations would not have a clear understanding of what those figures represent. Yet psycological effects will live on, it will be passed down from a generationt to the next. Unlike $ it's not something you can 'get back'. If you've experienced/witnessed it...it stays for life, and the shadow of its effect will be passed down unconciously to the next generation.
The closest example I can think of right now is Germany, where one generation will have to live with witnessing/experiencing/participating in the Holocaust and the next living the knowledge what their previous generation have done/experienced.
Now with nukes i guess there is another long term cost of war(to add to the many). Even today babies in Hiroshima are born with genetic disorders. Iraqi childrens too, suffer these conditions due to depleted uranium present in weapons used in the Persian Gulf War.
Either way I don't think War is worth the cost.
Well ^^ that's my 2 cents...