science

Military humanism

Military humanism is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Military humanism rather than just read about it. In short: Military humanism is the use of force and violence to further a humanitarian cause. Although it can easily be disputed whether or not furthering a humanitarian cause is the real intention behind such an action, the theoretical descriptive guideline still applies.

Key takeaways

Military humanism belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Military humanism to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Military humanism from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Military humanism is the use of force and violence to further a humanitarian cause. Although it can easily be disputed whether or not furthering a humanitarian cause is the real intention behind such an action, the theoretical descriptive guideline still applies. The U.S.-led North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) intervention in the Balkans is the most well-known case, and brought the term to prominence. The concept is most widely explored in Noam Chomsky's book The New Military Humanism: Lessons from Kosovo (1999) in which he argues that NATO's 1999 bombing of Kosovo was not conducted for humanitarian reasons but to further the military hegemony of western democratic powers such as the United States.

See also Military Association of Atheists & Freethinkers

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Military humanism

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Military humanism claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Military humanism before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Military humanism ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Military humanism

In research: Military humanism appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Military humanism in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Military humanism is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Military sociology, Military stubs, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Military humanism outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Military humanism in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Military humanism means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Military humanism out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Military humanism in simple terms?

Why does Military humanism matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Military humanism?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Military humanism.