Classical political economy limited war by a principle of economy in spending lives.
Evidence
What a population constitutes is above all wealth, a living wealth that must not be wasted. Arguments concerning warfare coincided with those relating to taxation: one should not levy too many taxes, and contributions should be strictly proportional to public needs. Likewise, this formed the basis for a principle of savings applied to the spending of lives. In opposition to bad kings who, prompted by futile desires for personal glory, blithely sacrifice “the blood and treasures of their subjects,” it was pointed out that “the blood of the people can only be shed in order to save that very people in times of extreme need.” The legitimate exercise of sovereignty in warfare must be limited by the strict principle of necessity. — Grégoire Chamayou, A Theory of the Drone, 568
Categorization
- XREF: The economy-of-life critique of war is one mode of criticism the drone threatens to put out of action — relevant to the reader’s interest in new ethical norms. — connects to: Zero-risk warfare implies radical inequality in the value of lives; Mortality blocks property from becoming a true political principle.; War mobilization persuaded elites that human life need not be subordinated to economic laws — Clara E. Mattei, The Capital Order: How Economists…, 249
Related
- Mortality blocks property from becoming a true political principle. (similarity 0.81)
- War mobilization persuaded elites that human life need not be subordinated to economic laws (similarity 0.79)