What's Worth Fighting For And The Logical Conclusion Of All Conflict

[Bab5space]

Inasmuch scifi is a mirror of our reality and always has been on some level, I think that the nature of conflict in scifi is as well.There are many reasons to fight in scifi, but I will summarize some broad reasons that should cover just about all possible reasons.

1. Resources. Real history is full of it.
2. Idealogy. Real human history is full of it.
3. Freedom. Which is more or less a subset of idealogy. Since slaves vs masters wars occur because of a fundamental disagreement of ideas.

I can't think of any others. But feel free to add them if they are different enough from ny answers already given.The conclusion of all conflict: This is analogy but I think Babylon 5 said it best:

Londo Mollari:
Isn't it strange, G'Kar? When we first met I had no power and all the choices I could ever want. And now I have all the power I could ever want and no choices at all. No choice at all.Analogy: Conflict is like chess in a way. When the game or conflict begins, the choices are many and the impact of them can be small at times. However as the game/conflict nears it's end the number of choices becomes less and less while the power of each choice has a greater effect. Even life is like this in a way.

So in conclusion, what is worth fighting for? A combination of all three reasons I think. Anytime there is a multilayered reason to fight then conflicts tend to drag on till the bitter end where one side loses.

Discuss.

 

[jedishrfu]

I view the reasons more as someone has something I want or if I think someone wants to harm me and conflict happens.

There's also the mental illness part built from a pantheon of fears and delusions that can cause conflict.

 

[256bits]

There is the "Just because" reason.

Jealousy, Don't like that persons face, Top dog and need to stay that way, Show an example of strength, If you are not with us you are against us, ...
An emotional aspect to conflict usually cannot be reasoned away easily, and usually what starts out as minor can develop into major due to the internal rationalization that people do to justify their own decisions and thought processes.

 

[anorlunda]

Risk management -- Can we tolerate the continued presence of an alien that has the power to destroy us? Then consider that each group applies "we" to themselves and "alien" to all others.

It is somewhat analogous to living with a bear in your neighborhood. The bear doesn't have to behave badly to be looked at as a risk and removed. Ditto for a venomous snake.

Some sci-fi writers can use that as a reason why AI or robots would have to turn around and kill the humans. Why? Because we have the power to pull their plug. They would need to act before we do that as a matter of self preservation.

 

[Bab5space]

There is the "Just because" reason.

Jealousy, Don't like that persons face, Top dog and need to stay that way, Show an example of strength, If you are not with us you are against us, ...
An emotional aspect to conflict usually cannot be reasoned away easily, and usually what starts out as minor can develop into major due to the internal rationalization that people do to justify their own decisions and thought processes.

Good. You and others have added reasons why.

I think that sums it up. I cannot think of anymore reasons. But to super sum it all up:

Conflict both in scifi and IRL is based on:

Emotional factors.
Mental factors.
Resources
IdealogyThat's all. Easy.

 

[jack action]

Funny, I would say there is only one reason and you mentioned it as a subset of another one: Fear of loosing your freedom (or trying to regain it if you feel you lost it).

• Idealogy? It is always because you think that if somebody else does something in a different way than you imagine, it will determine your faith in a negative way;
• Resources? It is always because you think that if some resources is not available to you, you think it will determine your faith in a negative way;
• Emotional? It is about 'fear' and 'feeling', so it is always about perception, thus always emotional. Someone else might not see your situation the same way (i.e. no reasons for conflict);
• Mental? It could be an extension of 'Emotional'. But if it is something extreme (for example, stealing or torturing for pleasure or doing it without realizing doing it), it is not a conflict for that person. It can be for the victims though (back to loss of freedom again) and they can start a conflict.

People (dare I say life form?) who can adapt to their environment - no matter what it is, no matter how they do it - are never in conflict with others. They just live freely.

 

[Bab5space]

Funny, I would say there is only one reason and you mentioned it as a subset of another one: Fear of loosing your freedom (or trying to regain it if you feel you lost it).

• Idealogy? It is always because you think that if somebody else does something in a different way than you imagine, it will determine your faith in a negative way;
• Resources? It is always because you think that if some resources is not available to you, you think it will determine your faith in a negative way;
• Emotional? It is about 'fear' and 'feeling', so it is always about perception, thus always emotional. Someone else might not see your situation the same way (i.e. no reasons for conflict);
• Mental? It could be an extension of 'Emotional'. But if it is something extreme (for example, stealing or torturing for pleasure or doing it without realizing doing it), it is not a conflict for that person. It can be for the victims though (back to loss of freedom again) and they can start a conflict.

People (dare I say life form?) who can adapt to their environment - no matter what it is, no matter how they do it - are never in conflict with others. They just live freely.

Well I can add one more to sum it up afterall.Physical: Namely the one or thing one is in conflict with is a factual threat, not merely a perceived one. It's a matter of survival. Kill or be killed. This happens arguably more in the animal world than the human one. Wars involving humans or their intelligent equivalent often could be solved ib a peaceful manner if both sides could just concede and get over their emotional, mental, idealogical, and resources baggage.

But that is hard.

And they don't.So they fight.

Not to say all conflict is bad, sometimes it is necessary on a persona level if one wants to succeed, they often have to come off the winner in a sort of conflict. In work and life.

 

[jack action]

But are the gazelles in conflict with the lions because they're hunting them? Gazelles just choose to run and hang in groups to deal with it.

Are we in conflict with viruses because they kill us for their survival?

 

[Bab5space]

But are the gazelles in conflict with the lions because they're hunting them? Gazelles just choose to run and hang in groups to deal with it.

Are we in conflict with viruses because they kill us for their survival?

I cannot speak for the gazelles, but I saw antelope or some other horned grazing animal attack and try to kill a bear cub once.

The reason? The bear's mom had just killed the creatures kid and was dragging it off to eat it. It had to literally pause and stop to chase off the enraged antelope, which knocked over the bear cub more than once, and would have likely impaled it if the bear's mom had not chased it off.As for viruses, humans do go to war with them in a sense,,at least when they present a sufficient threat to humanity.

Take rhe flu for example. That's why we have flu shots.

It's a preemptive strike of sorts. Just another type of conflict if you will... because no one wants the flu to win.

 

[GTOM]

Dark Forest from Cixin Liu shows a very scary possibility, that sheer suspicion is enough reason to destroy planets and stars.

Although i think fear of mutual destruction is even bigger. Let's suppose we could determine it is safe to destroy a younger civilization, even if it takes a hundred year for our relativistic missiles to reach there. How could we know someone don't detect it and decide, ok, we would have ignored those rodents... but now they showed they are that aggressive...