Anti-War and the Possibility of a Peaceful World in Tolstoy

Abstract

It is a fact that we are facing an intense of violence and war in the world we live in. Even when we look at the history of humanity, we can say that violence and war are an integral part of its destiny. But is war really the destiny of humanity or is it possible to live in peace in a world without war? One of those who thought about this issue is the famous Russian philosopher and literator Leo Tolstoy, and in this article we aim to discuss Tolstoy's views and thoughts on this issue. In this study, in which document analysis and text analysis were used as methods, Tolstoy's basic works on the subject were tried to be read, understood and interpreted. The conclusion we have reached is that Tolstoy is in a unique position in terms of opposition to war and the ideal of peace. That is to say, while philosophers such as Kant and Russell, who place the problem at the centre of their philosophies, address the problem from a legal and political perspective and try to construct the solution through a universal peace treaty and a global world state, Tolstoy approaches the problem from a moral and religious perspective and thinks that the solution can be possible by purifying people's feelings, thoughts and beliefs as a whole from conflicting motivations and placing peaceful feelings and actions at the centre of their lives.