Lest we forget: how and why we should remember the Great War

Scarre, Geoffrey

doi:10.2143/ep.21.3.3044848

Lest we forget: how and why we should remember the Great War

Scarre, Geoffrey

Authors

Geoffrey Scarre

Abstract

Because commemorations of historic events say as much about the present as the past, it is important to think carefully about how and why we should remember the Great War in the centenary year of its outbreak. Commemoration must not be allowed to degenerate into mere mass entertainment, thoughtless celebration of martial valour, an occasion for chauvinism, or an advertisement for the merits of war as a means of settling international disputes. More respectable reasons for commemorating the Great War are that it provides opportunities (i) to learn from past mistakes, (ii) to reaffirm some common core values, and (iii) to pay our respects to those who died in their country’s service. I argue, however, that each of these justifications raises serious problems of interpretation and application, and that careful thought and moral sensitivity is needed if our efforts at commemoration are not to send out the wrong messages.

Citation

Scarre, G. (2014). Lest we forget: how and why we should remember the Great War. Ethical Perspectives, 21(3), 321-344. https://doi.org/10.2143/ep.21.3.3044848

Journal Article Type	Article
Acceptance Date	Mar 1, 2014
Publication Date	Sep 1, 2014
Deposit Date	Nov 12, 2015
Publicly Available Date	Sep 1, 2016
Journal	Ethical perspectives.
Print ISSN	1370-0049
Electronic ISSN	1783-1431
Publisher	Peeters Publishers
Peer Reviewed	Peer Reviewed
Volume	21
Issue	3
Pages	321-344
DOI	https://doi.org/10.2143/ep.21.3.3044848
Publisher URL	http://www.ethical-perspectives.be/page.php?LAN=E&FILE=ep_index&ID=193