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

Instructor: Molly Gardner. This course meets TR 5:00 – 6:15 p.m. in CW 105.

This course will examine questions about ethics in the context of international relations. We will begin with some general questions about how moral theory can be applied, if at all, in the international sphere. Are there such things as universal human rights? We will then consider questions about just and unjust wars:  When, if ever, is a country morally justified in going to war?  What means, if any, are morally permitted in warfare? What is terrorism, and is terrorism ever morally justified? We will finally consider questions relevant to international peace. Is perpetual peace possible?  Are states morally obligated to limit their pollution or the destruction of the natural environment? And in a global economy, what, if anything, is owed to the world’s poor?