ABSTRACT
In a drama about the Trojan wars an ancient Greek hero returns from the horror of battle vowing never to fight again. But after his eloquent praise of pacifism, a drunken soldier stumbles on stage and begins to molest the hero’s wife. Almost involuntarily, the hero’s hand reaches for his sword. The scene is moving because it captures a basic dilemma: most people believe killing is horrible, but most people also believe there are some values worth fighting to defend. In an imperfect world, few people have been willing to adopt pure pacifism, which means the refusal to defend one’s self, family, country, or allies from any kind of attack.
