Pros And Cons Of Conscription Essay

The Iniquity of Conscription: Argument against Military Conscription

Conscription (or drafting) is the compulsory enlistment of people in some sort of national service, most often military service. Conscription first came into use as a legal term in France in 1798. It derives from the Latin conscriptionem, which refers to the gathering of troops by written orders, and conscribere, which means “to put a name on a list or roll, especially a list of soldiers.”i Military conscription assumes that the state has ownership over its people rather than vice versa, a people, of, by and for, the government. It is believe that the experience of service is beneficial from a social anthropology standpoint, in that it provides a common level of understanding

One point of view in favor of conscription is that the experience of service is beneficial from a social anthropology standpoint, in that it provides a common level of understanding and shared experience across all members of society, thus providing a more unified society.vi This presumes universal conscription, where all members of society are required (without meaningful exception) to perform service. Nevertheless, most young Colombians may actually "get free" from service either as Higher Education students or simply claiming medical reasons. Consequently, military service is mandatory only for those who cannot access higher levels of education or for those who do not have disabling illness.vii Along with the justifications, is the reason that it provides a ready base of trained individuals would a war occur. In other words, having conscription means that a large pool of the population has already undergone basic military training, and that this pool can be drawn upon to quickly raise a large army in an emergency.viii Notwithstanding, permanent conscription can lead to a more militaristic society. It instills a militaristic mindset on the conscripted population, even if they are not put into a military setting, conscripts working in a national service labor pool are subjected to a military-style lifestyle and environment. The service of conscription is the price that a citizen pays for

Finally, many conscription enthusiasts wave the flag and ring the patriotic bells. Yet the truest form of patriotism is serving, not making someone else serve. Patriotism no more than compassion can be coerced. A society which no longer wins the voluntary allegiance of its people has no moral authority to coerce them into its service. After all, it is important to know that the abolition of armies, the demilitarization of society and culture are not at changing the law, but within societies and that's where it is need to make that other transformative role.

Bibliogrphy i. Conscription. (2014, November 16). Retrieved November 18, 2014, from