WeRead Powered by ReaderPub
"Bethink Yourselves!" cover

"Bethink Yourselves!"

The essay condemns the recurrence of armed conflict and portrays its needless suffering, economic waste, and moral degradation. It criticizes political leaders, intellectuals, clergy, and the press for using patriotic and religious rhetoric to justify violence while obscuring its brutality, and it emphasizes how mobilization and propaganda dehumanize combatants and civilians. The piece urges readers to reconsider common justifications for war and to appeal to conscience and nonviolent alternatives.

By graf Leo Tolstoy
Open in WeRead Explore More Books Like This
Essays, Letters & SpeechesHistory - WarfarePhilosophy & EthicsRussian Literature

About This Book

The essay condemns the recurrence of armed conflict and portrays its needless suffering, economic waste, and moral degradation. It criticizes political leaders, intellectuals, clergy, and the press for using patriotic and religious rhetoric to justify violence while obscuring its brutality, and it emphasizes how mobilization and propaganda dehumanize combatants and civilians. The piece urges readers to reconsider common justifications for war and to appeal to conscience and nonviolent alternatives.

About the Author

Tolstoy, graf Leo portrait

graf Leo Tolstoy

Leo Tolstoy, a prominent Russian author and philosopher, is best known for his epic novels that explore complex themes of morality, society, and human experience. His most famous works include "Anna Karenina," which delves into the intricacies of love and infidelity, and "War and Peace," a sweeping narrative set against the backdrop of the Napoleonic Wars. Beyond fiction, Tolstoy was a significant thinker in the realms of ethics and spirituality, as evidenced in his essays such as "The Kingdom of God Is Within You," where he articulates his views on nonviolent resistance and Christian anarchism. His literary contributions have left a lasting impact on both literature and philosophy.

More Books by This Author

6 picks
"The Kingdom of God Is Within You" / Christianity Not as a Mystic Religion but as a New Theory of Life cover "The Kingdom of God Is Within You" / Christianity Not as a Mystic Religion but as a New Theory of Life by graf Leo Tolstoy "The Kingdom of God Is Within You" / Christianity Not as a Mystic Religion but as a New Theory of Life cover "The Kingdom of God Is Within You" / Christianity Not as a Mystic Religion but as a New Theory of Life by graf Leo Tolstoy A Letter to a Hindu cover A Letter to a Hindu by graf Leo Tolstoy A Russian Proprietor, and Other Stories cover A Russian Proprietor, and Other Stories by graf Leo Tolstoy Anna Karenina cover Anna Karenina by graf Leo Tolstoy Anna Karenina cover Anna Karenina by graf Leo Tolstoy

You May Also Like

6 picks
"'Tis Sixty Years Since" / Address of Charles Francis Adams; Founders' Day, January 16, 1913 cover "'Tis Sixty Years Since" / Address of Charles Francis Adams; Founders' Day, January 16, 1913 by Charles Francis Adams "... és a felelősségtől való rettegés" cover "... és a felelősségtől való rettegés" by Émile Faguet "A Most Unholy Trade," Being Letters on the Drama by Henry James cover "A Most Unholy Trade," Being Letters on the Drama by Henry James by Henry James "About My Father's Business": Work Amidst the Sick, the Sad, and the Sorrowing cover "About My Father's Business": Work Amidst the Sick, the Sad, and the Sorrowing by Thomas Archer "America for Americans!" / The Typical American, Thanksgiving Sermon cover "America for Americans!" / The Typical American, Thanksgiving Sermon by John Philip Newman "Colony,"--or "Free State"? "Dependence,"--or "Just Connection"? "Empire,"--or "Union"? cover "Colony,"--or "Free State"? "Dependence,"--or "Just Connection"? "Empire,"--or "Union"? by Alpheus Henry Snow