ABSTRACT
The myth of heroic war and the myth of holy war have in common a belief in divine authorization for the dehumanizing of the enemy and for the glorifying of the homefolks. Campbell makes the point about Homer's humanity, that it shows with what respect and great capacity for empathy the ancient Greeks could regard their enemies. The myth of just war lives deeply in our thinking and remembrance. The rediscovery of the unconscious mind is of the highest interest in our consideration of the problem of human survival. The human "mind" is evidently prepared to wrap the whole planet in a shroud, and the exercise of all our best efforts and ingenuity has produced no assurance that it will be deterred from that end. In sum, war and peace issues involve ethical principles and can be enforced by rational, mutual interest. One can wage a just war because it is the expression of sovereignty.
