We had been told that the development of industry and commerce had brought about such an interdependence of peoples that war was henceforth out of the question—at least upon a vast scale. There are men now fighting who had written and lectured to that effect. But it is now clear that commerce also creates jealousies and rivalries and suspicions which are potent for war. We were told that nations could not long finance a war under modern conditions: economists had demonstrated that to the satisfaction of themselves and others. We see now that they had underrated both the production of wealth and the extent to which it could be mobilized for destructive purposes. We were told that the advance of science had made war practically impossible. We now know that science has not only rendered the enginery of war more deadly, but has also increased the powers of resistance and endurance when war comes. If all this does not demonstrate that the forces which have brought about complicated and extensive changes in the fabric of society do not of themselves generate progress I do not know what a demonstration would be. Has man subjugated physical nature only to release forces beyond his control?
(John Dewey, "Progress," The International Journal of Ethics 26 [April 1916]: 311-22, at 313)
Note from KBJ: Dewey and his fellow progressives were shocked by World War I. They were naive enough to think that war was no longer possible. Memo to Dewey: As long as there are human beings, there will be war. (Has there ever not been war?) The only change is the way war is waged. You would think that modern-day progressives would have learned by now, but they haven't. They repeat the mistakes (including wishful thinking) of their forebears, such as Dewey. The other day, I saw Medea Benjamin of Code Pink on The O'Reilly Factor. She truly believes that it is possible for the United States to negotiate with the Taliban. If we're nice to them, they'll be nice to us! She has no understanding of human nature, and is therefore a free rider on those who do.
Note 2 from KBJ: Here is the transcript.
