Class notes
Pacifism- The Immorality of War
- Course
- Institution
Notes on Pacifism; intended to compliment notes on Just War Theory
[Show more]
Seller
Follow
jmthompson00
Content preview
Lackey Reading. Thursday, 6 December 2018“The Immorality of War”- Political Realism and Anti-War Pacifism
• Political realism- amoral- means of expressing power
• Pacifism- immoral
• Political realism critique- problematising morality
• Pacifism- problematising right to wage war and morality
• Just war theory- key assumptions
o Within the scope of moral discourse
o We can differentiate between just and unjust wars
o Two warring parties cannot be equally just
o Political communities have the moral right to wage war
o Jus ad bellum, jus in bello, jus post bellum
▪ Just cause and principle of discrimination
• Pacifism and Anti-war Pacifism
o Universal pacifism
▪ All killing is wrong- both personal and political (life as sacred, Jainism)
▪ All violence is wrong- personal and political (Gandhi, Tolstoy)
▪ Extremely demanding and subject to many criticisms- sometimes life
is trumped by other values, sometimes violence is justified.
Euthanasia? Issues of dignity.
o Anti-war pacifism
▪ Strong presumption against killing and violence
▪ However, they are sometimes justified- ie. When an individual is
subject to aggression from another
▪ Target of retaliatory violence must be responsible (eg. Demonstrated
murderous/violent intent) and violence should be a last resort
▪ Rejection of just war- inherently at odds with the dictates of morality
• AWP contra Just Cause
o The “domestic analogy”- argument for communal self-defence based on
personal self-defence- mistaken
▪ Domestic level- more at stake, means your death
▪ Defeat in war does not mean destruction- rarely destroys a
community
▪ Even if the community is destroyed, individuals can create or
participate in other communities
o Thus, aggression does not override strong presumption against
killing/destroying individual lives
▪ Difference in kind
▪ We should avoid violence to save our individual lives/lives of the
enemy
▪ Resort to non-violent resistance instead- civil disobedience, boycotts
▪ Exception: cases of genocidal aggression- concerns self-defence
• Jus in bello
o On the impermissibility of killing soldiers
▪ Principle of discrimination presumes distinction between those
responsible and non-responsible
▪ Many combatants are not morally responsible
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller jmthompson00. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $3.92. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
62890 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy study notes for 14 years now