Violence and War

Violence and War

1. Pacifism

   • Often grounded in a deontological claim that focuses on the morality of killing
   • Pacifism is not passive: pacifists do not advocate doing anything in response to the atrocity. Rather, pacifists may commit to active, creative, and sustained efforts to help people, and defend the innocent

2. Realism

   • Tend to be consequentialists, who are primarily focused on outcomes and results and who are not as concerned with the morality of the means employed to achieve such results.

3. Just War Theory

   • Just war theory attempts to clarify when the use of deadly force is justifiable.
   • Suggests that war is justified only when certain conditions were met: if it is waged as a last resort or in self-defense; if the force used is proportional; and if, whenever possible, civilians are spared from violence.

4. Current Issues

   • Terrorism
     • Violent acts that cause or intend to cause widespread terror. Usually this terrifying act has a political goal.
   • Targeted Killing
     • the premeditated, preemptive, and intentional killing of an individual or individuals known or believed to represent a present and/or future threat to the safety and security of a state through affiliation with terrorist groups or individuals.
   • Torture
     • Torture is viewed as a criminal activity, outlawed by the Geneva Conventions and by other international treaties such as the UN Convention against Torture.
     • Governments have sought to justify techniques that have traditionally been viewed as torture, in part by calling them “enhanced interrogation methods.”
   • War Crimes and Universal Human Rights
     • Certain actions violate the natural value and dignity of persons, and all human beings should know this based upon a common moral sense, no matter what orders they receive.
   • Weapons of Mass Destruction
     • Nuclear powers have tried to limit nuclear arsenals. There have been many nuclear weapons treaties designed to limit nuclear stocks and prevent proliferation. Although some dream of complete disarmament, we are far from being a world free of nuclear weapons.