PHIL/POLI/PWAD 272.001 – Ethics of Peace, War, and Defense

This course will explore major ethical questions that arise in the context of international relations.  First, we will explore the moral questions that arise in the context of conflict between states.  Is the international sphere a place where ethical judgments apply at all?  Could it ever be morally justified to go to war and if so under what conditions?  Are there any moral limits to what means one might rightfully use in warfare?

Next we will explore moral questions of international relations that arise outside the context of conflict between states.  Are such things as universal human rights?  Are nations morally obligated to limit their pollution or the destruction of the natural environment?  In a global economy what, if anything, is owed to the world’s poor?

Dana Falkenberg’s webpage