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The Why Factor: World War One: Sacrifice

World War One: Sacrifice

BBC World Service - The Why Factor, World War One: Sacrifice

An exploration of the meaning of sacrifice to mark the centenary of World War One

An exploration of the meaning of sacrifice to mark the centenary of World War One.

To mark the centenary of World War One, Mike Williams explores the meaning of sacrifice. We often talk of military sacrifice - young men and women, giving their lives for a higher cause. The “ultimate sacrifice”. Countless acts of bravery on the battlefield have ended in death. Some are remembered, many are not. But is that sacrifice? Or, is there a darker side to be considered - not the willing self-sacrifice of a soldier, but a soldier sacrificed? And have we, as one philosopher suggests, misunderstood the meaning of sacrifice completely?

(Photo: A flower appears alongside the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Credit: AFP/Getty Images)

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