ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an explication and definition of the concept of “war.” Practically all modern definitions of war rule out the possibility that individuals can wage war. They conceive of war as a certain kind of conflict between groups. In fact, many definitions even restrict the term “war” to sustained armed conflicts between states. Instead of taking any such definition as a point of departure, the section starts from scratch. It first explains what an explication of the concept of “war” should achieve. It then introduces the fundamental, and frequently overlooked, distinction between war as a historical event and war as an action. It is war as an action – which, unlike events, can be right or wrong – that the chapter explicates. Testing our linguistic intuitions with different examples of conflict, the chapter isolates several criteria that a war properly speaking has to fulfill and tries to demonstrate that not only collectives but individuals can wage war. In conclusion, it examines alternative definitions of war and shows that the one provided fares rather well in comparison to others.
