Also published under the title of Principals of Social Reconstruction, and writt
en in response to the devastation of World War I, Why Men Fight lays out Bertran
d Russell's ideas on war, pacifism, reason, impulse, and personal liberty. He ar
gues that the individualistic approach of traditional liberalism has reached its
limits and that when individuals live passionately, they will have no desire fo
r war or killing. Conversely, excessive restraint or reason causes us to live un
naturally and with hostility toward those who are unlike ourselves.
This form
idable work greatly contributed to Russell's fame as a formidable social critic
and anti-war activist.
