The chicken grows as the egg decays: War and spirituality as contradictory and complementary forces

Abstract

This essay examines what happens to spirituality in time of war. By analysing major masterpieces by Hobbes, Nietzsche, Tolstoy and Frankl, the author highlights current theoretical conceptions in the literature on how human beings handle their spirituality in times of war and what impact it has upon their personal world. Finally, the author presents extracts from The diary of Anne Frank to illustrate and analyse the relationships between children's spirituality and their encounter with trauma, viciousness and atrocity. © 2010 Taylor & Francis.