PHIL/POLI/PWAD 272.003 – The Ethics of Peace, War, and Defense

Instructor: Joseph Ross. This course meets TR 5:00 – 6:15 p.m. in VN G311.

When is war justified? When is it not? Are there rules to war? What is acceptable conduct during war, and what is not? These ancient questions are still relevant today, and we will attempt to answer them. By examining documents on “just war theory” from antiquity to the present, students will gain a theoretical understanding of the justifications for war by analyzing the views of some of the greatest thinkers in Western history (e.g., Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, Augustine, St. Thomas Aquinas, Hugo Grotius, Immanuel Kant). This foundation will provide students with the tools they need to determine whether military conflicts (both past, present, and future) are justified.