More Important Than Your Life: War, Individualism, and Justice
Item
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Title
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More Important Than Your Life: War, Individualism, and Justice
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Identifier
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d_2009_2013:885a50bec810:11562
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identifier
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12077
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Creator
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Parsons, Graham,
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Contributor
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Omar Dahbour
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Date
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2012
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Ethics | Philosophy | Political science | Military studies
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Abstract
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Modern systematic just war theory since the 16th century has been committed to both individualism and anti-individualism at the same time. This is revealed after it is recognized that modern just war theory has two inconsistent components. First, there is a theory of public war wherein the political sovereign has unique moral responsibility for the justice of war while political subjects can be obligated to serve in war upon command. Second, there is a theory of discrimination wherein it is permissible to deliberately target combatants waging an unjust war but it is impermissible to target the innocent. These two components of just war theory posit two conflicting views of the distribution of responsibility for just war within political communities. This conflict is the result of the confused place individualism has had in modern just war theory. The theory of public war has its roots in the anti-individualist theories of justice in Augustine and Aquinas. Many theorists have attempted to reconcile the theory of public war and the theory of discrimination with individualism. Three such theories are examined. These are the theories of Vitoria, Grotius, and Walzer. Each of these attempts fails because the theory of public war is inconsistent with individualism. The only theory of just war that can be consistent with individualism is a theory of private war wherein all participants in war are responsible for the justice of war and no one is obligated to serve upon command. McMahan's theory of just war is an example of such a theory. The individualist theory of private war has troubling implications for political society, however, in that it renders the realization of political authority impossible. It is concluded that anti-individualist theories of just war ought to be considered and one such theory is articulated though not systematically defended.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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2009_2013.csv
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degree
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Ph.D.
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Program
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Philosophy
