What moral dilemmas do soldiers face in wartime? What do these reveal about human nature: are we good, bad, or both? And to what extent do we, as a society, willingly or unwittingly participate in war?

Imagine being a soldier on deployment. Each day brings difficult choices. When a man on a motorbike keeps approaching the base, ignoring warning shots, it is not clear at what exact point you should fire. Does it matter whether opponent does or does not abide by any of the laws of war? And do the politics at home surrounding your missions matter in all this?

In this talk, Tine Molendijk explores dilemmas like these. As an anthropologist studying military experience, she approaches them not as abstract ideas but as lived realities, drawing on extensive empirical research among Dutch soldiers. Discussing soldiers’ dilemmas can illuminate the deeper moral conflicts inherent in warfare and offer insight into human behaviour more generally. They also invite us, collectively, to reflect on our own attitudes towards war and those who fight it.

This event is an initiative by the Dutch Institute for Emergent Phenomena (DIEP) with the support of the University of Amsterdam. Science & Cocktails Amsterdam is presented in cooperation with Paradiso Amsterdam.