27.1 Introduction
- The twentieth century witnessed two world wars, regional conflicts, nuclear arsenals, and rising violence — despite material and technological advancement, peace has eluded mankind.
- The core dilemma: when authorities protecting collective interests are themselves prisoners of self-interest, how can conflict be resolved?
- Mahatma Gandhi’s response: introduce ethics into politics; make self-realisation (not self-interest) the purpose of life.
- The Gandhian message of Truth and Non-violence is presented as the only viable path; pacifism as the only solution for humanity’s survival.
27.2 Gandhism
- Gandhi is characterised as a religious humanist. His principles, worked out for the attainment of Swaraj, were systematised into what others call “Gandhism.”
- Gandhi himself never formulated a formal theory — what exists is a body of speeches, articles, and writings that form the background of a sound theory rather than a completed system.
- Three core strands from Gandhi’s own writings:
- Non-violence is meant not merely for saints but for common people — it is the law of the human race, as violence is the law of the brute. Human dignity requires obedience to the higher law of the spirit.
- Satyagraha and its offshoots (non-cooperation, civil disobedience) are new names for the ancient law of self-sacrifice. Non-violence was discovered in the midst of violence; it is the only path for a weary world.
- Devotion to Truth leads to certain ethical principles that must guide individuals and collectives. All actions are to be judged by these principles; their pursuit leads to the purification of self and ultimately to the realisation of absolute truth. Ethics is thus a means to God.
- Gandhi denied using any “ism,” but his principles offer solutions to the crises facing humanity and represent an alternative to both capitalism and communism.
27.3 Pacifism
- Dictionary meaning: the belief that all war is morally wrong and that disputes should be settled by peaceful means — fully consistent with Gandhi’s ethical principles.
- Politics, corrupted by greed and power-hunger, has become an instrument of crime and terror, making a sham of democracy.
- Gandhi also holds modern science and technology responsible for mindless violence — whether through arms and ammunition or through the subordination of human beings to technology, modern science has created a violent social order.
- The only alternative: peace-power or non-violent resistance.
27.3.1 Non-violence and Power
- Gandhi arrived at the principle of pure love as the means to realise God (absolute truth); observance of the law of love is non-violence.
- Non-violence is the means; truth is the end.
- Non-violent methods are instruments of power — they cut off the sources of the opponent’s power. Where non-violent coercion operates, change is achieved against the opponent’s will by undercutting the sources of his power until he no longer has control.
- Non-violence is not passive — it is an active engagement in every field of life (religious, social, economic, political), driven by the dynamic and creative force of love. It is action that is non-violent, not inaction.
- This directly contradicts the popular assumption that non-violent action at its strongest relies on the opponent’s rationality or consists simply of passive submission.
- Non-violence is not a sign of submission or weakness; it means power.
27.3.2 Believers vs. Pacifists
- The believer in non-violence shares the goal of a decent, just, and equitable society — an end to injustice, tyranny, corruption, and exploitation. The peace sought is not peace at any price but peace based on justice.
- Three positions among those who identify with non-violence:
- Some use it only as a technique, discardable under other circumstances.
- Some hold it as a matter of principle.
- For some it is an essential part of their religious faith.
i) Passive resistance:
- Likely to be defensive in tactics and strategy; involves forms of non-cooperation that embarrass rather than coerce.
- It does not directly impede the opponent but disengages the resister from the direct point of conflict, changing the terms of conflict so that the opponent is led (for his own reasons) to initiate change.
- Examples: the boycott, the walkout aspect of a strike — the resister simply removes himself from the engagement the opponent depends upon.
- A factory cannot produce goods without workers; if workers cease productive action, management is deprived of an indispensable element. If bus riders boycott buses, revenues are curtailed — the company must then respond.
ii) Satyagraha:
- Objective: constructive transformation of relationships — not merely a change of policy but a restructuring of the situation that led to conflict.
- Requires modification of attitudes and fulfilment of the significant needs of all parties originally in conflict. Fulfilment of needs is both the objective and the means for fundamental change.
27.3.3 The Non-Violent Society
- Non-violence is not merely a personal virtue — it is a social virtue to be cultivated collectively.
- Society is already largely regulated by the expression of non-violence in mutual dealings; Gandhi calls for its extension to the national and international scale.
- Just as the earth is held in position by gravitation, society is held together by non-violence — though when consciously constructed on this law, society’s structure would differ materially from what it is today.
- A society based on non-violence would consist of groups settled in villages where voluntary co-operation is the condition of dignified and peaceful existence.
27.3.4 The Government
- Gandhi acknowledges the government cannot become entirely non-violent because it represents all people.
- He does not seek such a government but believes in the possibility of a predominantly non-violent society.
- His approach: keep the ideal in view and work towards it; progress is made by keeping the ideal alive while improving current arrangements — each step forward is real even if perfection is not immediately attained.
- In the absence of the ideal, the second-best form of government is one based on the principles of non-violence.
27.3.5 The Power of Non-Violence
Non-violence as active force:
- In its dynamic condition, non-violence means conscious suffering — not meek submission to the evildoer but the pitting of one’s whole soul against the will of the tyrant.
- A single individual, working under the law of non-violence, can defy the whole might of an unjust empire, lay the foundation for its fall or regeneration.
- Gandhi’s non-violence is a more active fighting against wickedness than retaliation, which by its nature increases wickedness. It seeks to blunt the tyrant’s sword not with a sharper weapon but by disappointing his expectation of physical resistance — at first dazzling him, ultimately compelling recognition without humiliation.
Matchless bravery:
- An armed soldier depends on his weapons — take them away and he becomes helpless. The person who has internalised non-violence has God-given strength as his weapon, which nothing in the world can match.
- “A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history.”
- Non-violence of the strong is stronger than that of the bravest armed soldier.
Exercise in faith:
- “The hardest metal yields to sufficient heat” — even the hardest heart must bend before the heat of non-violence, and there is no limit to non-violence’s capacity to generate that heat.
- Non-violence being the mightiest force and also the most elusive in its working demands the greatest exercise of faith — just as belief in God is an act of faith.
- Violence, like water, rushes forward furiously when it has an outlet; non-violence cannot act madly — it is the essence of discipline. Once set going, no amount of violence can crush it.
Non-violence as science (Ahimsa):
- Ahimsa is a science. The word “failure” has no place in the vocabulary of science — apparent failure is often the precursor to further discoveries.
- Violence can only be effectively met by non-violence — even the atom bomb becomes useless when matched against non-violence. Wielding this weapon requires strength of mind, unlike what is taught in military schools.
Hate the sin, not the sinner:
- “Hate the sin and not the sinner” — the inability to practice this spreads the poison of hatred in the world.
- Ahimsa is the basis of the search for truth. It is proper to resist and attack a system, but to attack its author is to attack oneself — all human beings share in the divine, and to slight one is to harm the whole world.
- Man and his deed are two distinct things — a wicked deed deserves disapprobation, but the doer always deserves respect or pity.
- The acid test of non-violence: in a non-violent conflict, no rancour is left behind — enemies are converted into friends. Gandhi cites General Smuts (South Africa) as proof — his bitterest opponent became his warmest friend.
- The implication of ahimsa: it ought to soften, not stiffen the opponent’s attitude; it ought to melt him and strike a responsive chord in his heart.
- Gandhi, by lifelong practice, considers himself an expert in ahimsa, yet says: “the more I practice it, the clearer I see how far I am from its full expression.”
- The philosophical justification for ahimsa is grounded in the relativity of truth; the ethical basis lies in the ends-means relationship — the fruit of a tree depends on the seed sown.
27.3.6 The Technique of Non-violent Action
Non-violent action is a technique of conducting protest, resistance, and intervention without physical violence through:
- (a) Acts of omission — refusal to perform acts usually performed, expected by custom, or required by law.
- (b) Acts of commission — performing acts not usually or customarily performed.
- (c) A combination of both.
Three main classes of methods:
| Class | Description | Examples |
| Non-violent protest and persuasion | Symbolic actions communicating opinions | Parades, leafleting |
| Non-cooperation | Withholding social, economic, or political cooperation | Social boycotts, economic boycotts, labour strikes, political non-cooperation, civil disobedience |
| Non-violent intervention | Actions that disrupt the operation of the system being opposed | Physical, psychological, social, economic, and political disruption |
- Gandhi is not the originator of non-violent struggle but is its major historical refiner and developer, bringing greatly increased strategic sophistication to the technique.
- He recognised the importance of strategy — skilful choice and use of means to maximise the possibilities of success.
- He charted ways for both intellectuals and masses — including those who did not share his full beliefs — to join non-violent struggles and become empowered.
Gandhi’s key lessons for overcoming conflict:
- Justice and freedom require empowering oppressed people and redistributing power in society.
- Peace is not achieved by stifling conflicts but by using non-violent struggle to fight them to the point of resolution.
- Mass non-violent struggle is possible as a substitute for both passivity and violence.
- Masses who will never accept non-violence as a moral principle will at times practice pragmatic non-violent struggle.
- Effective adoption of non-violent means requires formulating and implementing strategies as substitutes for violence for specific purposes.
- Non-violent struggles can be made more effective through wise strategies with implementing tactics.
27.4 The Relevance of Pacifism
- Gandhi is more realistic than often credited — non-violence is not a programme for ending every human limitation or imperfection, nor does it justify crime today for the sake of a perfect tomorrow.
- Non-violence operates at two levels:
- As a transcendent ideal — a higher-order goal approached asymptotically but never completely attained.
- As a process and way of life — an alternative approach to dealing with conflict that recognises the inevitability of conflict, human error, human egoism, and human shortsightedness.
- Non-violence is thus both an ideal vision guiding the transformation of human life and a practical means by which human beings can live together despite deep-rooted limitations.
- Gandhi calls non-violence a pursuit — reaching towards what is most sublime, but rooted in sober recognition of human vulnerability, ignorance, and self-centredness.
- To adopt non-violence is to adopt a new way of dealing with fear and vulnerability — not to become defenceless, but to reconceive what defence means, what is most urgent to defend, and by what means.
- When pacifism becomes a primary value, new ways of solving conflicts, protecting what matters, and struggling for rights must be found.
- Pacifism / non-violence / ahimsa — all indicate what must be avoided in social and political relationships if a global community is to be built.
- The avoidance of injury is not merely a negative achievement — the way of pacifism is a new way of being that imparts new strength to those who enter it.
Summary Table
| Concept | Key Point |
| Gandhism | Not a formal theory; collection of writings; core: Truth, Non-violence, Self-sacrifice, Ethics as means to God |
| Pacifism | All war morally wrong; disputes to be settled peacefully; only alternative to violence |
| Non-violence and power | Active force, not passive; cuts off opponent’s power; instrument of combat |
| Passive resistance | Disengagement from point of conflict; boycott, strike walkout |
| Satyagraha | Constructive transformation of relationships; fulfilment of all parties’ needs |
| Non-violent society | Social virtue; society held together by non-violence; village-based voluntary co-operation |
| Government | Cannot be wholly non-violent; second-best = government based on non-violence principles |
| Ahimsa as science | No failure; hardest heart yields to non-violence; hate sin not sinner; enemies become friends |
| Technique | Omission + commission; three classes: protest/persuasion, non-cooperation, intervention |
| Relevance | Transcendent ideal + practical process; new way of dealing with fear and conflict |
