Beginning with the achievements of Mahatma Gandhi, and following the legacy of nonviolence through the struggles against Nazism in Europe, racism in America, oppression in China and Latin America, and ethnic conflicts in Africa and Bosnia, Michael Nagler unveils the history of nonviolence.

Nonviolence, he proposes, has proven its power against arms and social injustice wherever it has been correctly understood and applied.

What will it take to save the world? Massive protests? Yes, and much more. Protest has its place, but sometimes - much of the time actually - we have to take strategic steps that can lead to deeper change. To bring us to the world we really want, these actions must be centered around nonviolence, because the choice between violence or nonviolence determines the kind of world that ultimately results. The whole reason for protesting an injustice is that we don’t want to live in a violent world.

Nonviolence can be a safe, effective and lasting way to defeat injustice, but like any other science, it takes some knowledge — and courage and determination.

Commit to Nonviolence: Take the Pledge

Given a scientific approach to nonviolence we want to use the proportional approach to the degree of conflict we are facing. That escalation has been illustrated in the accompanying graphic, and as you will see, it is convenient to plot that escalation in three stages.

Nonviolence is also known as “love in action.” As a constructive power, it’s unleashed when potentially destructive drives like fear or anger are converted into creative equivalents like love and compassion.

Nonviolence, when harnessed systematically and in an experimental, scientific spirit, can be used as a force for realizing greater security, justice and social unity. In the words of Mahatma Gandhi, “nonviolence is the greatest power at the disposal of humankind.”