Discussion Part I 15

What do we mean when we speak of “peace,” “conflict,” and “violence”?

Peace is often defined as both the absence of conflict and violence as well as a
state of harmonious relations. Many also refer to it as a personal state of non-
conflict, particularly with oneself and with one's relationship to others. It is the
ultimate goal of many organizations, countries, institutions, and individuals to
monitor and regulate social relationships.

When we speak about peace, conflict, and violence, we are talking about a
relationship that exists between us, between nations, or between people in general.
The three elements (peace, conflict, violence) goes hand in hand together. When
there is peace, there are no conflict nor violence. Similarly, when there is conflict
and violence, people are in a war with each other and there is no peace.

Are there different kinds of violence? Is peace simply an absence of direct violence,
or is it something more than that?

There are different kinds of violence depending on the element the categorisation
is based on. For instance, World Health Organization (WHO) divides violence
into three categories based on who is the perpetrators or victim in an act of
violence. The three categories includes;

1. Self-directed: violent acts a person inflicts upon him- or herself, and

includes self-abuse (such as self-mutilation) and suicidal behaviour
(including suicidal thoughts, as well as attempted and completed suicide).
2. Interpersonal violence: violence inflicted by another individual or by a
small group of individuals.
3. Collective violence: the instrumental use of violence by people who
identify themselves as members of a group – whether this group is
transitory or has a more permanent identity – against another group or set
of individuals, in order to achieve political, economic or social objectives.

Violence can be further categorised into various types; physical, sexual, psychological,
and neglect.

Notably, when there is no violence and conflict, peace is likely to be achieved. However,
peace does not necessarily means absence of conflict. It means the absence of violence in
all forms and the unfolding of conflict in a constructive way. There can be no conflict nor
violence and it is referred to as negative peace. Positive peace is attained by more lasting
peace, societal attitudes, and various other factors.

5 days ago

Hamad Altuwaitan
Unit 3 Part 1
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What is the relationship between peace and justice?

Peace is a social relationship where collectivities do not use physical violence to achieve
political objectives. On the other hand, justice is the condition in which actors obtain what
they are legally entitled to. Justice and peace promote individual and collective action by
citizens as social actors to advance world peace and justice. It aims to increase citizen
accountability and participation locally and globally. This, therefore, means that where there
is justice, there is peace. 

Are there different kinds of violence

There are three types of violence, namely, Self direct, collective and interpersonal. Self-
directed violence is defined as violent acts committed against oneself and includes self-abuse
and suicidal behavior. Collective violence suggests possible motivations for larger groups of
individuals or states to commit violence. Collective violence committed for advancing a
specific social agenda includes but is not limited to hate crimes committed by organized
groups, terrorist acts, and mob violence. Interpersonal violence can be classified into two
subtypes: Family and intimate partner violence, which is primarily between family members
and intimate partners and occurs most frequently, but not exclusively, in the home. The
second one is community violence, defined as violence between strangers who may or may
not know one another, generally occurring outside the home.

Hello Hamad, I am glad to be reading and commenting on your post. Peace has a variety of
definitions based on the perspective you are viewing it from. Your definition of peace is
correct but based on a certain perspective. Personally, I defined peace as absence of violence
and conflict but went ahead to explain why absence of conflict and violence does not
necessarily means presence of peace.

2 days ago

Stephen Beaton
Unit 3 Part 1
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 What is the relationship between peace and justice?

Although peace and justice mean two totally separate things, the two words share some type
of relationship. The meaning of peace refers to the state of tranquility and the absence of
violence. Justice refers to something or someone having just behavior and fairness. The
relationship between these two is simple. When there is peace, and no violence is present a
form of justice is also present. When peace is no longer present neither is justice therefore
justice is needed to provide peace. Both peace and justice are important in our society today
for they hold the glue to prevent chaos and further catastrophe from happening. Peace is
something that is present all over the world, without it many countries would be at war with
each other. Along with peace, justice is important because it provides fairness to everyone no
matter who it may be. And with proper justice judgment will be followed to ensure peace.

Beaton

I am very interested on relationship between peace and justice though I did not focus on it on
my post. In my understanding, when there is act of justice, peace prevails and vice versa.