John Dewey "Conscience and Compulsion"

When World War I began in 1914, there were many mixed emotions about the war.

John Dewey, an American philosopher and educational theorist, supported the war. In the article "Conscience and Compulsion", Dewey explains that many people, mostly the youth of America, have felt moral strain since war was declared by the United States.

Dewey thought that the reason for the conflict of emotion in America's youth stemmed from religious sources, schools, and parent's values. America's youth were being taught morals (ie-not to kill) that could not be reconciled with President Wilson's decision to go to war.

While many people felt that peace was unattainable through conflict, Dewey states that in order to have peace for all, armed conflict is sometimes necessary. Dewey felt that the means should not justify the end, but the end should justify the means. In other words, the attaining of peace should not be as important as peace itself.