Pacificism

Pacificism is the general ethical opposition to violence or war, except in cases where force is deemed absolutely necessary to advance the cause of peace.

It falls between pacifism, which usually states that killing, violence or war is unconditionally wrong in all cases, and defensivism, which accepts all defensive wars and acts of deterrence as morally just. Pacificism states that war can only ever be considered as a firm "last resort", condemning both aggression and militarism.

The theory was first put forward by A. J. P. Taylor in The Trouble-Makers and was subsequently defined by Martin Ceadel in his 1987 book, Thinking About Peace and War. It was also discussed in detail in Richard Norman's book: Ethics, Killing and War.

The largest national peace association in history, the British League of Nations Union, was pacificist rather than pacifist in orientation. Historically, the majority of peace activists have been pacificists rather than strict pacifists.

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