Abstract
This article describes two debates, "from institution to occupation" (I/O) and Esprit de Corps that have been of major importance for the present understanding of the concept of the military as a profession. Charles Moskos's original "I/O" model and Morris Janowitz's reaction are recapitulated, as is the concept of Esprit de Corps presented by Samuel P. Huntington and Morris Janowitz. It is demonstrated that the Moskos-Janowitz dispute is based upon different definitions of the "I/O" shift and not upon the existence and the extent of such a shift, while Huntington and Janowitz had no common understanding of either the existence, extent, or concepts connected to the "Esprit de Corps." Therefore, in contrast to common interpretation, it is argued that Moskos and Janowitz are much more in agreement than Huntington and Janowitz. Subsequently, it is demonstrated that in both cases, the approach taken by the three authors was biased due to a lack of conceptual clarification and of empirical testing. Finally, the analysis of the two debates makes it possible to redefine the military as a profession as a multidimensional concept.
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