Abstract
Aim: This article concerns the issues of war and armed conflicts in a polemological context. The article presents selected concepts, definitions and theories of war, and attempts to identify polemological-irenological knowledge based on the analysis of sources and the literature of the subject.
Introduction: Knowledge deficits in the field of research into wars and armed conflicts in terms of polemology can be currently noticed. Many scientists and experts dealing with security and defence strive to answer the question of how polemology affects the contemporary image of war. Therefore, the theoretical foundations of polemology and related sciences – primarily security and defence sciences – should be used to expand knowledge of war, armed conflicts and peace. The existence of war and peace, often called a phenomenon, has been of interest to rulers and experts dealing with political and military issues ever since states began to form structural and functional links. War is an inherent part of a complex reality. Due to its theoretical and practical value, this phenomenon has engendered socio-philosophical thought since the emergence of war. For centuries, thinkers and scholars have been looking for ways to eliminate war from the life of mankind. Without knowledge of war, it is impossible to understand how the contemporary world evolved and why even the most developed societies sometimes had to fight.
Conclusions: The existence of war and peace, often called a phenomenon, has been of interest to rulers and experts dealing with political and military issues ever since states began to form structural and functional links. War is an inherent part of a complex reality. Indeed, no phenomenon, including war, has emerged out of nowhere. Rather, it has evolved in time. Due to its theoretical and practical value, this phenomenon has engendered socio-philosophical thought ever since the emergence of war. For centuries, thinkers and scholars have been looking for ways to eliminate war from the life of mankind. Without knowledge of war, it is impossible to understand how the contemporary world evolved and why even the most developed societies sometimes had to fight.
Relevance in practice: This paper can be studied and analysed by scientists dealing with the issues of security, defence, war and armed conflicts. It is addressed to academic teachers, scientists and university students, as well as, more broadly, those who deal with security, defence, wars and armed conflicts.
Keywords: war, peace, armed conflict, war research, polemology, irenology
Type of article: review article