How would these philosophers regard the current war on terror were they alive today?
Socrates would surely start by asking what a war is, and what terror (as a political concept) is, and go on from there. Not being Socrates, I can’t be sure what the next question would be, but it would probably concern the inconsistency of the concepts – a war is a two-sided business (like a love-affair); you can’t have a meaningful relationship or combat with someone who tries their hardest to be invisible. Perhaps a different category would be useful. Hume, the great sceptic, could begin by a ruthless questioning of the causes of the war as adduced by all sides. He would not take religious justification seriously; the insurgents’ real objectives, for him, must be secular. He would be unlikely to swallow abstractions like human rights and democracy, either. An uncomfortable fellow, our David. Marx would take two lines, which would marshal him solidly in the anti-American camp. First, Marx would follow the money trail. For five percent profit, he said, a capitalist will drive an honest
