I like pacifists and people who have a heavy emotional…
“I like pacifists and people who have a heavy emotional identification with deathism and war would probably call me a pacifist, but I am a non-invasivist rather than a non-violentist. That is, I believe that an invaded people have the right to defend themselves by any means necessary. This includes putting ground glass or poison in the invaders' food, shooting at them from ambush, sabotage, the general strike, armed revolution, etc. It's up to the invaded to decide which of these techniques they will use. It's not up to some moralist to tell them which techniques are permissible.”
About This Quote
A non‑invasivist stance supports any defensive tactics against occupiers, rejecting external moral judgments on permissible methods.
In simple terms: Self‑defense without external moral constraints.
Key Takeaway
Defenders choose tactics.
Themes
self‑defense
moral autonomy
political violence
anti‑imperialism
ethical relativism
resistance
Mood
defiant
critical
Type
political
philosophical
When to use this quote
- occupied nation
- colonized people
- insurgent movement
Key Concepts
right to self‑defense
means‑ends justification
agency of the oppressed
Practical Applications
- guiding guerrilla strategy
- informing policy on occupied
Questions to Reflect On
- When does defensive violence become oppression?
- Who decides which tactics are ethically acceptable?
A Different Perspective
Some argue that unrestricted tactics can erode moral legitimacy and provoke cycles of retaliation.