David Hume was a philosopher of the Scottish Enlightenment, and one of the greatest minds of Western Philosophy belonging to empiricism. In the positivist view, Hume believes in the proposition that “A caused B,” or “B happened because of A” or that “Whenever A occurs, then B does.” This necessary connection or necessary relation is what is called David Hume’s concept of causation.
John Burton, a prominent creative scholar specializing in international relations and conflict resolution, established a direct link between interstate and intergroup conflicts and the realm of basic human needs, principally identity, recognition and survival, and thus brought the study of conflict resolution under the purview of a socialpsychological approach to this key problem.
Burton believed that conflicts are deeply rooted in human needs. Thus, they become extremely difficult to resolve. They should be evaluated and addressed through profound psychological examination of the unmet or inadequately fulfilled basic human needs of the parties and their individual members.
Applying the Humean causation model of “A caused B,” the Burton notion of the causes of violent behavior goes like this: unmet basic human needs such as inability to assert identity and individuality, poor recognition of individual worth, and poor means of survival are the A that causes B or violent behavior and conflict.
In places where means of survival are hampered by poverty and where the environment of an individual is fertile ground for the non-recognition of human rights (Hume’s ‘A’), people get unruly and conflicts exist (Burton’s ‘B’). This condition is prevalent in Third World countries where poverty is the norm and human rights are generally violated. In these troubled countries, strife, war, and conflicts are always present and cannot seem to be solved and ended.
A good example of this social malaise is the country of Myanmar (Burma). The existing military junta in the country is a known violator of human rights. The country is also reeling in poverty and misery, especially after the cyclone that killed thousands of people. Because of these conditions and situation, Myanmar has never quite solved or ended the intermittent civil war in the country. The people of Mindanao in the Philippines have also been suffering poverty and injustice for the past four decades. These have caused the ever-present revolt by Muslim guerrillas known as the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. Sao Paulo in Brazil is a place known for police brutality. Hence, there is always conflict in the streets and riots. The prisoners have even formed their own militant brotherhood that has turned into a dreaded crime syndicate (involved in murders and the cocaine trade) known as the First Capital Command.
