Peace, War, and Defense (PHIL 272)
Instructor: Bernie Boxill. This course meets on Mondays and Wednesdays from 10:00 – 10:50 a.m.in Mitchell 0005, with a recitation on Fridays.
The course will introduce students to some of the moral issues of war and peace. For example: Can war ever be morally justified? Can pacifism be morally justified? Can terrorism ever be morally justified? Can intervention ever be morally justified? Is there a moral duty to seek peace? Is the idea of a national interest a moral notion? What is Just War Theory, and what are its moral presuppositions? What are the moral rights of prisoners of war? Can it ever be morally justified to target civilians in war? Who has the moral and legal right to declare war? What are causes of war? What are the moral presuppositions of Realism and Liberalism in international affairs? Do the moral presuppositions of functioning democracies help to explain their alleged tendency not to fight one another? What are the ethical responsibilities of multinational corporations? What is the relation between global distributive justice and peace?
Cross-listed with PWAD 272 and POLI 272.
Bernie Boxill’s webpage