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Pacifism is the opposition or resistance to war, militarism (including conscription and mandatory military service) or violence. The word pacifism was coined by the French peace campaigner Émile Arnaud and adopted by other peace activists at the tenth Universal Peace Congress in Glasgow in 1901. A related term is ahimsa (to do no harm), which is a core philosophy in Indian religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. While modern connotations are recent, having been explicated since the 19th century, ancient references abound.
In modern times, interest was revived by Leo Tolstoy in his late works, particularly in The Kingdom of God Is Within You. Mahatma Gandhi propounded the practice of steadfast nonviolent opposition which he called "satyagraha", instrumental in its role in the Indian Independence Movement. Its effectiveness served as inspiration to Martin Luther King Jr., James Lawson, Mary and Charles Beard, James Bevel, Thích Nhất Hạnh, and many others in the civil rights movement. (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0)
Terms & Criteria
Notable people who are/were absolute pacifists should be added to this project.
- absolute pacifism: the idea that human life is so valuable that a human should never be killed and war should never be conducted, even in self-defense
Conditional (or relative) pacifism, more specifically known as pacificism, holds that while default defensivism should not be normalized, defense is allowable if provoked. This is a much more common belief system than pacifism. Most people who self-identify as pacifists -- including many notable peace activists, and even some conscientious objectors -- are in reality pacificists and should not be added, though they may be excellent fits for a project like Protesters.