What did everyone think about the quote on page 269. “Men do not go to war for love of others, but for love of themselves. The same is true for gods. The Trojan War was never about Helen.”
Excellent question, @John_A! I’ve got that passage highlighted, too.
I definitely agree with “The Trojan War was never about Helen.” She was just the excuse Agamemnon needed to invade Troy.
I think wars are most often started because of egos and avarice. I’m not sure it’s always true of people to get roped into participating, however. In thinking about WWII, for example, the U.S. was late to the party and only joined after it was attacked. (And I may not be remembering my history properly so feel free to correct me; I know the US had been considering whether or not to join the fray, but it was Pearl Harbor that pushed it over the edge, if I’m not mistaken.)
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What a question! I think men want power for themselves. I do not believe they do it for the good of the country or the people. I have often wondered if there were no “leaders” but people in the world who want to work for the better of humankind would it be be a better world?
I agree that the Trojan War was never about Helen. Not at its core. But I do believe there are as many reasons for a man to go to war as there are men who go. Each takes up that cause for a different reason. Some for honor and duty. Some for country. Some for glory. Some for violence. Some to survive. Some to protect. It depends on the man and the war, and the cause and the reason to be there. I do not agree that men go for love of themselves. I think that is reductive and dismissive.
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I interpreted the sentence as “why men start war.” Leaders go to war for power. Once war has begun, then there is the issue of a nation’s survival. Individual men and women go to war for several reasons including national pride, a sense of duty to protect friends and neighbors or a way of life. I do believe that this quest for war is built in to the human psyche. In the film The Return, Odysseus’ wife asks that very question and Odysseus has no answer.
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I agree Donna_M, I read the question as “why men start war.” While there is often more than one reason, for me it is a matter of greed. You have something and I want it. Then I will justify it with a lot of other reasons.
Kim, You are correct, FDR wanted to enter the war for humane reasons and also to assist the economy. However, he knew that the general population did not want another war after WWI. By having the US attacked it provided the push to enter the war. “It was for the American protection.”