Dictionaries declare as first definition of “war” that it is “an armed conflict”. Unfortunately, that is conceptually wrong: a war is not a conflict! I will demonstrate this claim by means of a conceptual analysis (see concept map below).
My
conceptual analysis of “war” and “conflict” is explained by means of a
concept map called “War is not Conflict”. From this concept map, the
following definition of “war” can be derived:
War is a means of conflict resolution
through which the aggressor
implements a strategy of military violence
with the end of imposing his own views.
So, since war is "a means of conflict resolution" it is clear that it cannot be a conflict.
Well, yes, dictionaries can be wrong. Why? Because they collect how words are used and if the majority of people uses a word in a wrong way, then that error becomes an error in the dictionary.
