PHIL 272.002 – The Ethics of Peace, War, and Defense

Instructor: Tamara Fakhoury. This course meets TR 8:00 – 9:15 a.m. in CW 105.

This class introduces students to the ethics of war and peace through the field of philosophy. After a brief introduction to ethical theory, we will start by studying some canonical perspectives on the ethics of war: pacifism, realism, and self- defense.  We will then turn to focusing on one of the most influential theoretical perspectives on war: Just War Theory. In the second of half of the course, we will examine some fascinating contemporary issues in ethics and war including: terrorism, cyber warfare, torture, refugees, the roles of women in wars, wartime sexual violence, living meaningfully during wartime, and the mental health of combatants and civilians after war. We will end the class with a unit on activism and social progress where we will consider the issues of civil disobedience and violent and nonviolent protest.