How War Makes Politics Impossible: A Philosophical Analysis of the Two Ways We Deal with “Otherness”

This book provides an English translation of philosopher Heimo Hofmeister's book, Der Wille zum Krieg, oder die Ohnmacht der Politik, which traces the connection between war and the individual or group awareness of differences among 'others' which leads to inevitable and serious disagreement. Analyzing the relations of strength, force and power on the one hand and state, politics and war on the other, Hofmeister shows that while conflict is inevitable, war is not. Ironically, the same diversity that exists among humanity and the conflicts that arise from the awareness of such are just as much the foundation of harmony, friendship and love as they are that of war and hate.