I believe this quote is immoral, that, “All is fair in love and war,” because all is not fair in love and war. When people are consumed with deep feelings in love or war, they start feeling that whatever they do is justified simply because of the way they feel. Take the example of romantic love, if loving or reciprocation is not the righteous thing to do because others will be hurt, then one should move away from it and one will find something much better just round the corner simply because they had the guts to say no. But one must not over-ride one’s rights in doing so. Also, if one does the righteous or responsible thing then things will change and all might get their heart’s desire. But people find it very hard to do the righteous thing when consumed with deep passion for love for another or love for country or hate for another or hate for another country, and so when passion consumes one, fulfillment seems justified, but it’s not if it over-rides anothers’ rights. Therefore, all is not fair in love and war. What do you think?
all is fair in love and war unless you have the power to make it unfair and in your advantage…
that’s what the phrase means…
do what you can before someone else does it to you…
they will, and to think otherwise is naivety…
-Imp
Imp, I’m not here to piss you off, but are you sure about this whole thing? Because I like what you say but I’m not sure. hehe.
yeah, I’m as sure as one can be… (then again, I am a radical skeptic existentialist so what do you expect?)
-Imp
A radical skeptic existentialist. Okay, I’ll let that sink in.
I think that
All is fair in Love and fair in war when fought in Love for your enemy.
The first immorality is
to love your friend and hate your enemy in peace or in war,
OR is to hate your friend and love your enemy in peace or in war,
…as you yourself seemed to be realising when you wrote : "But people find it very hard to do the righteous thing when consumed with deep passion for love for another or love for country or hate for another or hate for another country, … "
It is impossible, and so very hard, to do the righteous thing when I am already in the unrighteous attitude of hating you.
“My only Love sprung from my only Hate!
Too early seen unknown, and known too late!
Prodigious Birth of Love it is to me,
That I must Love my Loathed enemy.”
ROMEO AND JULIET, Act 1, Scene 5
loveandrespect,
iloveu
Life is unfair.
Love and war are a part of life.
Love and war are not fair.
Now, who can deny this logic?
What is fair is the question…
i think i’ll leave the fairness in love aside right now, and focus on the fairness in war.
look at history, which is always written by the winner.
to the winner go the spoils (of war)
as hobbes says in the leviathan:
To this warre of every man against every man, this also is consequent;
that nothing can be Unjust. The notions of Right and Wrong,
Justice and Injustice have there no place. Where there is no
common Power, there is no Law: where no Law, no Injustice.
Force, and Fraud, are in warre the two Cardinall vertues.
Justice, and Injustice are none of the Faculties neither of the Body,
nor Mind. If they were, they might be in a man that were alone
in the world, as well as his Senses, and Passions. They are Qualities,
that relate to men in Society, not in Solitude. It is consequent also
to the same condition, that there be no Propriety, no Dominion,
no Mine and Thine distinct; but onely that to be every mans that he
can get; and for so long, as he can keep it. And thus much for
the ill condition, which man by meer Nature is actually placed in;
though with a possibility to come out of it, consisting partly in
the Passions, partly in his Reason.
granted, this is all about man living in a state of nature, and the connotation of “war” is that it is usually between two (or more) nations, but the idea is the same, a conflict between sovereigns.
i think the imp is definitely on to something.
Listen, all it says is that the end justifies the means.
i don’t think that’s quite it… but it does seem to fit. i suppose if one were to look at war as a results only thing, then it would be possible to justify absolutely anything in the name of victory
… and in the name of love.
Unless of course you want somebody else to do it to you, and then in letting them do it what they want to do you both get what you want. That is harmony.
(Then again sometimes getting what you want is more dissapointing then not getting it.) 