Transcript Notes on Widdows, chapter 8

PHIL 104 (STOLZE)
Notes on Heather Widdows,
Global Ethics: An
Introduction, chapter 8
Topics in Chapter Eight
• War
• Terrorism
• Humanitarian Intervention
Moral Perspectives on War
•
Warism = no moral justification is needed for going to war (“War is
hell!”)
•
Pacifism = no moral justification is possible for going to war
•
Just War Theory = there are moral principles that govern when to go
to war, and how to wage it
Just War Theory
• Jus ad bellum = justice of going to war
• Jus in bello = justice of conduct during war
Principles of Jus ad bellum
• Legitimate authority
• Just cause
• Right intention
• Strong probability of success
• Last resort
• Proportionality
Principles of Jus in bello
• Discrimination
• Proportionality
• Military necessity
War and Personal Responsibility
In his 2002 article “War without Sacrifice: The Loss of Personal Responsibility” (*)
the philosopher Cheyney Ryan has proposed the following Principle of Personal
Integrity:
“You should only endorse those military actions of your country in which you
yourself would be willing to give your life (tomorrow).”
On the basis of this moral principle, which recent U.S.-led military actions would
you have supported?
Ryan also defines a “chickenhawk” as “someone who vigorously endorses a war
and its sacrifices while diligently avoiding such sacrifices himself” (The
Chickenhawk Syndrome, p. 1)
*(For the article, see www.gwu.edu/~ccps/rcq/Ryan.pdf; Ryan’s most recent book is The
Chickenhawk Syndrome: War, Sacrifice, and Personal Responsibility [Lanham: Rowman
and Littlefield, 2009].)
Other Contemporary Forms of Conflict
• Terrorism
• Humanitarian Intervention
Morality and Terrorism
• Terrorism as a Just War?
• Jus ad bellum and terrorism
• Jus in bello and terrorism
• How to balance security and civil liberties?
The Morality of Humanitarian Intervention
• Respects the “inviolate” and “universal” nature of human rights
• Takes duties of global justice seriously
• Respects all human beings, not just citizens
Problems with Humanitarian Intervention
• The “humanitarian claim might be abused.
• It is difficult to justify force as a preventative measure.
• It is difficult to publicly justify military casualties to defend noncompatriots.
• There are practical problems about who decides when it is justified and
on what criteria.
• There are practical problems about insisting that states go to war when it
might not be in their interest.