The history and application of christian just war theory as related to preemptive attack. It concentrates on the jus ad bellum moral criteria legitimate authority, just cause, and right intention, giving attention to the centrality of the state in just war. The birth of the just war theory by augustine 3 ad emperor constantine of the western part of the roman empire met in milan with licinius who controlled the balkans. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools.
The theoretical aspect of military ethics concerned with morally justifying war and the forms that warfare may or may not take is called. The just war tradition is central to the practice of international relations, in questions of war, peace, and the conduct of war in the contemporary world, but surprisingly few scholars have questioned the authority of the tradition as a source of moral guidance for modern statecraft. To the extent that this is interpreted as a legitimate government, this leaves little room for revolutionary war or civil war, in which an illegitimate entity may declare war for reasons that fit the remaining criteria of just war theory. According to traditional just war theory, two sets of conditions govern just conduct in war. We are going to try to reason about international conduct, esp. It was from their meeting, eusebius tells us, that they agree to. A second principle governing the resort to war is competent authority, which. Just war theory into the context of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and explores two examples of preemptive war. First, we must agree to follow reason wherever it leads. Since its earliest incarnations, just war theory has included the requirement that war must be initiated and waged by a legitimate authority. Following is a brief introduction to the just war theory that will be used as the principal theory of the thesis. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the transition in international society and the new just war theory that was the state of the art expression in the. For war to be justly undertaken, all avenues for righting the wrong of aggression must have been exhausted first. Within just war theory, the moral issues surrounding war are traditionally divided into two main categories.
Our constitution requires a process for the declaration of war, which is something administrations in. Just war theory has a long history in the western intellectual tradition. The triumph of just war theory and the dangers of success. The fourth principle of jus ad bellum is last resort. Decosse the american governments use of deception in making its case for the iraq war to the american people, argues the author, revealed a deficit in the integration of democratic ideas into catholic conceptions of just war theory. As a writer for us friends, advisers and religious leaders familiar with his thinking say that, over time, he has adopted eight moral principles that he believes justify war and four additional principles governing the actual conduct of war. From about the 19th century on, there have been many attempts to enshrine the notion of just war in international law. The western theory of just war finds genesis in augustines deliberations on christianity and warfare. Not all nations concern themselves with such justifications e. Myers it is generally accepted that the revival of american interest in the traditional concept of the just war began sometime during the undeclared war in vietnam. Bushs administration declared a just war of necessity. The basics just war theory specifies conditions for judging if it is just to go to war and conditions for how the war should be fought 6. The bible on when war is justifiable, part 1 by ralph drollinger.
The history and application of christian just war theory. The united states does explicitly recognize just war theory as criteria for engaging in war. This lesson introduces students to the principles of just war theory, the basis of international agreements such as the geneva conventions that regulate the conduct of nations in wartime. The attempt to answer these questions has led to the development of just war theory and the just war tradition. Just war theory is the basis on which nations seek to legally.
Competent authority the war must be run by an appropriate public authority. Nov 30, 2015 within just war theory, the moral issues surrounding war are traditionally divided into two main categories. Augustines just war theory 33 article, aquinas lays down three conditions for a war to be just. Jul 25, 20 the just war tradition is central to the practice of international relations, in questions of war, peace, and the conduct of war in the contemporary world, but surprisingly few scholars have questioned the authority of the tradition as a source of moral guidance for modern statecraft. The theoretical aspect is concerned with ethically justifying war and the forms that warfare may or may not take. Set of terms examining just war theory in texts and traditions. The theory of just war began in the service of the powers. A just war can only be fought to redress a wrong suffered. The lesson asks students to consider the six princi ples of jus ad bellum, or what makes a war just, as applied to world war ii.
However, while recent years have witnessed a remarkable resurgence in interest in just war theory, the authority criterion is largely absent from contemporary discussions. The requirement of legitimate authority, though central to medieval and. The lesson asks students to consider the six princi ples of jus ad bellum, or. While preemptive warfare is considered unjust, the idea of preemption is hard to define objectively. War must be declared by those with responsibility for public. The gulf war and the white house il a brief history of just war theory 1732 ffl. His approach explains how a morally upright citizen of a relatively just state could be justified in pursuing warfare, in prosecuting war, and ultimately, although unhappily, in taking human life. Thus, the criteria of just war theory are a primary basis for. Just war theory is the basis on which nations seek to. At west point, cadets take a philosophy course in which augustines definition of just war theory is taught.
President bush himself took an interest in just war theory. A just war must be initiated by a political authority. Scribd is the worlds largest social reading and publishing site. Augustine commented on the morality of war from a christian perspective, as did several arabic commentators from the 9th to the 12th centuries. Just war theory internet encyclopedia of philosophy. Cosmopolitanism, just war theory and legitimate authority. Competent authority only appointed authorities can declare war probability of success must be likely to win last resort all other options must be tried first proportionality the benefits must outweigh the expected harms classic just war theory how should we. May 08, 2018 the war criteria of just cause means that in some overt way a nations sovereignty is directly threatened just cause is the first principle for a nation to consider when pondering the use of war. The just war tradition is central to the practice of internationalrelations, in questions of war. Just war theory just war theory sociological theories. An armed conflict occurring between two different states or parties. Just war theory and the war on terr or 1 downloaded by william calcutt at 01.
Even just causes cannot be served by actions taken by individuals or groups who do not constitute an authority sanctioned by whatever the society and outsiders to the society deem legitimate. The history and application of christian just war theory as. Jus ad bellum concerns the justification for the resort to war in the first place, a. A just war must be initiated by a political authority within a political system that allows distinctions of justice. Just war theory is the theory of permissible war that advocates just criteria for the launching of, conduct in and ending. Just war theory is an anomaly in contemporary philosophical ethics by virtue of. Jus ad bellum the conditions required for justly going to war.
A war is just only if it is waged by a legitimate authority. Yet, as we have defined it here as the attempt to distinguish between ethical justifiable and unjustifiable uses of organized armed forces one might take a utilitarian approach to just war theory instead. Classic just war theory when is it right to go to war. Just war theory and the debate over the gulf war 3373 a. Revolution and civil war just war theory states that a just war must have just authority. Just war theory sets forth standards, both jus ad bellum rules governing if a war may be fought and jus in bello rules governing how a war is fought, standards which must be met if a war is to be considered just. From about the 17th century on, there has been an attempt to come up with nonreligiously based just war theories. Submitted to the department of religious studies and the faculty of the graduate school of the university of kansas in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of master of arts. Come up with a list of things that need to be met in order to justify war. This does not literally claim that war is permissible only if all less destructive means of achieving the just cause. The history of the just war theory of the wisconsin. Just war theory is typically considered to be an essential rightsbased or deontological theory. Just war theory states that war must be declared by those with responsibility for public order, not by private groups or individuals. In any case, augustines just war theory arises from his most deeply rooted philosophical assumptions.
Finally, it compares contrasting applications of christian just war theory in the debate over the iraq war. The first condition in just war theory is just authority, also known as competent authority. Long before the shock and awe campaign against iraq in march 2003, debates swarmed around the justifications of the u. Articles just war theory power that saves us both from that moral excess and that political folly. A direct threat to a nation need be imminent in order to warrant the use of war. Jun 06, 20 in the process, the morality of war will be questioned in terms of the just war theory. In spite of the many studies that have appeared concerning war. Hard just war theory reverses these emphases, replacing them with the following.
Our constitution requires a process for the declaration of war, which is something administrations in both parties have ignored for decades. Jus ad bellum just reason must have a good reason, like decreasing suffering. The basics just war theory specifies conditions for judging if it is just to go to war and conditions for how the war should be fought. A second principle governing the resort to war is competent authority, which insists that war may be initiated only by those who are appropriately authorized to do so. War was justified only as a last resort and only by the rightful sovereign. This is a body of thought that seeks to provide guidelines for when it is justified for one nation to wage war on another. Jennifer leaning an analysis of the just war theory poses questions about us action in afghanistan wars fought to redress grievous wrongs or put a stop to evil have been termed just wars.
Thomas aquinas provided the most celebrated and still discussed the main outlines of just war theory. Despite just war thinkers trying to defend the iraq invasion based on just war criteria, the thesis believes that the invasion clashed with the esteemed and longstanding standards set forth by the just war theory and considers any attempt to defend it as a misinterpretation of the concept of just war. Augustine is noted in history as the founder of just war theory in the western tradition the islamic world has its own tradition of just war theory based on the koran. In what follows, i will consider how ethics and the just war tradition illuminate these questions in a way that clearly shows what is missing in the obama administrations approach to the use of drones. Finally, it compares contrasting applications of christian just war. In this paper i aim to show that this is an oversight worth rectifying, by arguing. Just war theory deals with the justification of how and why wars are fought. Jul 18, 20 in what follows, i will consider how ethics and the just war tradition illuminate these questions in a way that clearly shows what is missing in the obama administrations approach to the use of drones.
Competent authority only appointed authorities can declare war probability of success must be likely to win last resort all other options must be tried first proportionality the benefits must outweigh the expected harms classic just war theory how should we act during war. Given just cause and right intention, the just war theory asserts that there must be a reasonable probability of success. In the case of the iraq war, the negatives far outweigh any positives. The section on just war theory closed with a warm affirmation of the value of a pacifist witness within the catholic church, claiming that it shares with just war theory a common presumption against the use of force as a means of settling disputes. The united states does explicitly recognize just war theory as criteria for. A special part of the interest of just war theory is that it is built on a long and rich historical development, just as a special part of the interest of the just war tradition is that it is the history. This will come up again and again in their careers.
Just war theory and the legitimate authority requirement the focus of this article is just war theory and the role that the lar has to play in it. Just war theory free download as powerpoint presentation. Just war theory, legitimate authority, and irregular. The first is from an encyclopedia of war and ethics and the second is an online source from the stanford encyclopedia of philosophy. Just war theory is the basis on which nations seek to legally and morally justify going to war. But some have a long life in this world, a history most often of service to the powersthatbe, but also, sometimes, an oppositionist history. If our emotions or feelings run counter to what is reasonable, it is our emotions that should change. Oct 22, 2017 the western theory of just war finds genesis in augustines deliberations on christianity and warfare. It is through the exploration of these three categories that the just war tradition as it existed in ancient chinese war philosophy can best be determined and understood. The justification can be either theoretical or historical. In crafting his theory, childress sets out to show how the traditional just war criteria can be reconstructed, explicated, and defended in relation to the prima facie duty of nonmaleficencethe duty not to harm or kill others. The just war theory was developed based on a long tradition, starting from st. Just war theory, like the very idea of ethics, is rooted in the concept of our common humanity.
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