In 2016, the global average GDP was ~121 trillion USD. Healthcare constituted 6%, and military spending just about 1.5%. Here's the catch: one year earlier, the economic cost of violence and warfare was 13.5 trillion dollars, which was over 11% of global GDP. Could these 13.5 trillion dollars have been used in education and welfare?

Let's sit with these figures for a minute.

War. How do we define it? How do we begin thinking about it? It has a long and complicated cultural history, but we need to ask ourselves if it is entirely a cultural phenomenon.

Could war ever be justified? Would the utopian goal, whether it be through utilitarian, cost-benefit terms, or deontological morals, ever have war as one of its quintessential features?

We do not have the answers to these questions, but they sure are intriguing. In this episode, we kickstart another series, now looking at war from as many perspectives as possible, and not to mention, using popular media. The first entry is merely background, an overview of our thoughts on war, and what it could mean for society.

Reference to Malaysian communities without aggression:

Chewong

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