Thank you for taking the time to respond with this excellent post.
Always happy to share!
It's important not to impose our modern viewpoint on historical figures. Morihei Ueshiba was a person of his time and place. Many people who survived WWII had very strong opinions that we today may not necessarily have. If we look at important figures in any philosophy we see flawed human beings trying to live up to their own ideals. Seneca comes to mind. He was a deeply flawed person in a deeply flawed world but he did his best and his letters are a blue print for stoicism that inspire people to this day.
Fully agree. My point was that there are a lot of common misconceptions about Ueshiba's vision of peace and how it translated into the technical aspects of aikido. They are often used to justify the lack of fighting ability of current aikidoka ("Ueshiba's will was peace and so he designed the art not for combat but for harmony"). When we look at the historical and technical aspects of the art, the justification unfortunately does not hold up so the answer must be sought elsewhere. "Bringing the eight corners of the world" under the rule of the Japanese emperor is a vision of peace, but not one I'm personally comfortable with, nor one that would translate into the defanging of techniques that resulted in modern Aikikai aikido.
I lump Hapkido techniques into two categories. The first is a technique that will do the requisite harm whether or not the opponent complies such as a follow through punch to the solar plexus. The second is a technique that will only do harm if I apply greater force or if the opponent attempts to escape and in their struggle the harm themselves such as any of a myriad of joint locks. These techniques are useful because they create a situation where you can subdue and in a sense contain the threat and initiate communication. Usually in the form of yelling things like, "don't move, give me your other hand etc." I often think of my time in law enforcement here. Cooperation is gained through pain, fear, panic, etc. If the person doesn't cooperate then apply more of the first kind till they do or they stop attacking.
As far as how this is applied philosophically to non combat situations in my mind it becomes a conversation about actions and consequence. I.e. "stop harassing me," non compliance, "stop harassing me or I'll notify the authorities", non compliance, "you kept harassing me so I notified the authorities." non compliance, and then the authorities impose legal restrictions like a no contact order or a protection order, non compliance. Harasser ultimately pays a legal price and goes to jail. Compliance.
Makes sense from here, although I don't have any law enforcement experience to comment on this. Do you train against resistance? It's usually difficult to set up those locks in sparring (it might be easier in a law enforcement scenario where you have the initiative and a psychological advantage). I also suspect that hapkido's striking toolset can help in setting up the locks.
What is your favorite Aikido book? I think Aikido and the Dynamic Sphere was the book that started my interest in Aikido and led me ultimately to learning Hapkido. Thank you again for your post.
It also sparked mine! The "dynamic sphere" is a powerful, seductive image, and having the ability to subdue an attacker samurai-style without hurting them is so cool. But yeah reality is quite different.
As for favorite books, I think "Hidden in plain sight" by Ellis Amdur should be mandatory reading. For technique, "Total Aikido" by Gozo Shioda and the "Takemusu Aiki" series by Morihiro Saito are the best reference material IMO. And as regards aikido history, Chris Li's Aikido Sangenkai blog and Guillaume Erard's blog are excellent.
Another book which moves beyond the mat and demonstrates the value of applying the underlying philosophies and principles in daily life is,
Karate-Do: The Art Beyond Techniques by Albert Cheah
"The Ultimate aim of karate-do lies not in victory or defeat, but in the perfection of character in its participants" - Gichin Funakoshi
Interestingly, there is an art whose founder clearly states that "there is no first strike" in it. It is not aikido, but shotokan karate.
A few thoughts from a martial arts legend
"I came to understand that behind every martial art is a philosophy, usually Zen or a system similar to Zen. The philosophy is an integral part of the learning process. The learning experience is subtle and gradual, because to truly learn a martial art requires as much use of the brain as the body. The real lessons of martial arts aren't kicks and punches but rather the calm self-assurance that comes from feeling good about yourself, certain of who you are and what you hope to accomplish, and the way to reach your goal" - Chuck Norris
The philosophical underpinnings of aikido are not specific to the way of harmony. When you delve deeper you will begin to realize there is a similarity amongst all arts. Once you have studied the martial arts and fighting for a while it becomes clear they are not just about martial techniques and fighting. In reality we are moving toward the same destination, getting caught up in which style is better than another is nothing more than a waste of precious time. We either bash one another's styles or choose to see the benefits of investigating the various martial arts and their philosophies 
I think that there are universal lessons that can be learnt through martial arts, and it's that type of personal growth that's captured in the quote. That's perhaps why most of us are in the arts, and what makes them so fulfilling.
That being said, I would make a distinction between those universal lessons and the "philosophical underpinnings of aikido". These are rooted in a particular understanding of the universe which do underpin all movements in the art. When Ueshiba says that you need to "stand on the Floating Bridge of Heaven" it is actually technical instruction rooted in his cosmology. "Stand in the six-direction posture of aiki before, during and after techniques" means that you have to constantly maintain a particular form of isometric tension throughout your body, that represents a manifestation of yin and yang (the union of which is called aiki). These are specific to the art.
